The Journal of the Former Emperor's Hand (Possible TFA Spoilers)
by TwoBrothersWriting
Summary: This is a story that tries to fit my favorite EU character, Mara Jade, into the new Disney Canon. The only aspect that is the same about her is she was the Emperor's Hand. Nothing that happened in the EU novels relate to her- such as Choices of One or The Thrawn Trilogy. I simply want to write a possible L/M romance based in the new canon.
1. Chapter 1

**_1 Year After the Battle of Endor_**

 ** _Entry 1_**

It is amazing how much difference a year can make. A year ago I had power and prestige. I lived the good life in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. I was a professional that took great pride in my work, having trained for years to become a highly skilled Force-strong assassin and enforcer for the Emperor. But then came the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor. This tragic event fueled uprising-after-uprising across the galaxy and left a void in leadership, resulting in intense infighting among the Moffs. Eventually the Empire became a fragmented and ineffectual government.

Some Moffs took their naval fleets and moved to wild space. There, they set up their own personal kingdoms, leading with an iron fist over their domains.

They were fools.

United the Empire could have thwarted the Rebel Forces over time, but as a divided force they were easily defeated by a ragtag band of insurgents that, I grudgingly had to admit, had exceptionally shrewd leadership. Leia Organa, the Princess turned General, was very effective in inciting dissidence on strategic worlds. Industrial planets such as Kuat, Balmorra, Bakur, Tyre and Corellia threw in their lot with the Rebels and when they did the rebel forces effectively controlled the Kuat Drive Yards and a majority of the weapons manufacturing plants.

The Empire needed a strong leader, but every time a Moff came forward to fill the role of supreme leader another Moff –hoping to claim the office himself—assassinated him.

I was at a crossroads. I worked deep undercover for the Emperor...so I didn't have any status in this new Empire. In fact I was certain that the few people who did know of my existence would undoubtedly attempt to kill me if they realized I survived. I came to the conclusion that I needed to change my appearance, identity and start over.

My decision to stay with the floundering Empire was a pragmatic one. I knew the political and social structure of the Empire. I understood how it worked. I was familiar with many of the key players that remained in power, even if they didn't know me- and the Empire was recruiting heavily. With a new identity I could begin anew. My intensive training in piloting, slicing, and surveillance, along with my fluency in multiple languages should equate to quick movement up the ranks.

It was then I had an epiphany…it was a plan to ingratiate myself to the new Empire and secure a position of power. I would first join the Empire under a new identity. Then I would capture Luke Skywalker, the Empire's most wanted Rebel, and get myself on the fast track to promotion. Skywalker was the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star and was rumored to be a Jedi, but I truly doubt he had any formal training. The Jedi Order was decimated during the Jedi purge and any survivors were quickly hunted down and killed by Darth Vader's Inquisitors. Intelligence reports indicated he was a former moisture farmer from Tatooine—meaning he is probably was some bucktoothed, rimworld bumpkin with bad hygiene, a primary school education, and a total lack of culture. The only thing going for him was undoubtedly some minimal Force ability, which allowed him to get that lucky shot during the Battle of Yavin.

He shouldn't pose a problem for someone of my abilities.

First I needed to establish my new identity and the best place to find unneeded official identification is in the aftermath of a combat zone. When traveling through a war torn world of Chibias I came upon the body of a woman with my approximate height, age, and who had a passing resemblance to me. She was slightly heavier than I was, but people are known to lose weight during time of war, and when they do, their facial features change. I believed I could pass for her with some modification of my appearance. I stole her identification and then dragged her body to an abandoned speeder and stuffed her into the trunk. After a few days in the oppressive heat she would no longer be recognizable by anyone.

I sliced into the government computer systems and made sure she had a clean record. I was thrilled that she was a college graduate, never arrested and didn't have her fingerprints or DNA on record. She was a blank slate that I could work with. I looked down at the identification card and smiled. The woman had the same eye color as me. I simply had to dye my hair black to complete the transformation.

I would become Litassa Colay, Imperial new recruit, and say goodbye to my previous identity, Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand.

.

* * *

.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is part of a writing challenge over at TheForceNet. I have to write two entries per month for an entire year in a journal fashion. This Journal is a prequel to a short story I wrote titled: Reunion. That story can be found here on this site.**_

 _ **The story Reunion has a few movie spoilers and takes place during TFA. This fanfic takes place prior to TFA and since I haven't read the new canon novels I am not sure if this fanfic is going to have anything that goes counter to new canon novels. This is basically an AU story, but I will try to keep with new canon. Since books are being released every day I don't know if I will be able to keep up with the new stuff written.**_

 _ **I know this is a pathetic attempt to bring Mara Jade into the new canon...but I am an unrepentant L/M 'shipper. Hopefully I will be able to keep this story going for a year.**_

 _ **I go by the screen name Carlos Danger over at TFN. I share this FFN site with my roommate who goes by the TFN screen name Ewok_Slayer. We act as each other's betas.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Entry 2**_

The Empire is full of idiots and I honestly don't know how I never fully comprehended this before. It isn't like I didn't see the warning signs. We built a colossal space station capable of annihilating entire planets, but Imperial engineers failed to put a metal grate over a thermal exhaust port. And there was that humiliating defeat on Endor where an elite stormtrooper garrison was decimated by a village of one-meter-tall, primitive Ewoks with rocks and wooded spears. ROCKS AND WOODEN SPEARS! One would think these embarrassments would urge Imperial commanders to buckle down and increase unit readiness, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

I walked to the local military garrison and inquired how I could join up to fight the rebels. I was referred to a young lieutenant who scrutinized my stolen identification, looked up to me and my newly dyed black hair, before smiling lecherously and handing me a datapad to fill out a recruitment application. I filled out the forms, turned it in and that was it. I am officially part of the Empire. I could be a rebel secret agent, but they wouldn't know. I would be extremely surprised if the lieutenant actually ran a background check on my stolen identity.

I requested to be sent to an intelligence unit. The young officer said that shouldn't be a problem since most women are sent to non-combat units. It is nice to know the remnants of the Empire continued their old custom of misogyny (sarcasm fully intended). I am given a shuttle transport ticket and a datachip with my orders. Tomorrow I report to an initial training center for a physical and inprocessing.

Now I understand how the rebels can gather such detailed intelligence on the Empire-operational security is sloppy!

* * *

 _ **Entry 3**_

I am starting to regret my decision. Suppressing the urge to Force choke my drill instructors is giving me a migraine. The training is a joke when it comes to women. We train in coed companies, but the platoons are segregated. During our platoon runs the men are way upfront maintaining a good four-minute-kilometer pace with boots and heavy pack, all the while singing horrendously sexist cadences. Meanwhile the women were lagging behind at a casual seven-minute-kilometer crawl, wearing running shoes (so the weaker sex doesn't get shin splints), no pack and while chanting a children's show tune disguised as a double-time cadence. I only have another week of pretending that I don't have any prior military training and then I am off to my advanced job training for the Intel Corps.

* * *

 _ **Entry 4**_

The Intelligence Corps training is rudimentary. We covered the different types of military intelligence to include: signal, imagery, and area intelligence. We also were instructed in Battlefield surveillance, counterintelligence, geospatial intelligence, and cryptologic Network warfare. One of our assignments at the end of the course was to attempt to create a backdoor program capable of accessing a Rebel computer system. I was fairly sure this was a lesson in frustration. If there were any Rebellion (or New Republic as they are now calling themselves) computer systems that haven't been breached then it is unlikely a class of fresh Intel recruits would have any success in doing so. Given the time frame we had for this assignment I doubted I could pull this off. I decided to play it safe and attempt to slice into older computers. I knew the six-year-old PX-W operating system was riddled with security holes and when the company that manufactured these system platforms started producing the next generation system they totally stopped allowing software patches and virus protection updates to occur. It was the company's way of getting computer owners to purchase their new system. Unfortunately for the Rebels, money is tight and they can't afford to procure new processors every few years. I ran a PX-W code scan through the New Republic Holonet in an attempt to find vulnerable systems. I found a few and miraculously one belonged to a low-level supply clerk for an X-Wing fighter squadron on a remote NR held planet. It wasn't much, but it did allow the Empire a peek into supply requests for that particular military unit.

My instructors were duly impressed. What they didn't know was—using Palpatine's old passcodes—I also designed a second backdoor program to spy on the Empire. If I was ever going to find Skywalker I needed fresh intelligence from all sources.

It is only a matter of time before I have that Tatooine farm boy in my hands.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Entry 5**_

Before I finished my Intel training the Empire was dealt a terrible setback on the planet Jakku. Jakku is a desert mining planet in the Western Regions with little strategic value other than it makes a good jumping off point into the Unknown Regions. Grand Moff Randd was determined to take over that sector for reasons unknown (at least to me) and committed most of the Imperial fleet. That fool was so confident that he reportedly said during the battle that this conflict would ' _live forever in history as the place where the Empire defeated the Rebellion once and for all_.'

It didn't quite work out that way. The New Republic was victorious and the enemy captured Captain Ciena Ree, the commander of the Star Destroyer, _Inflictor_ , but not before she ordered her ship scuttled to prevent the Rebels from acquiring it. Our last Super Star Destroyer, the _Ravager_ , was lost in that battle along with numerous AT-AT and AT-ST walkers and countless casualties on both sides.

Jakku was a failure of epic proportions leaving the Empire in shambles. If the Imperial command can't rectify this situation I might have to change sides in this war.

I can't believe I actually wrote that. It is treasonous to have such thoughts…but so many things have changed in the last year, including my priorities. I once served the Emperor loyally. My devotion knew no bounds. But what did that get me? Nothing.

I need to look out for myself now.

* * *

 _ **Entry 6**_

The New Republic has become overly confident and lax when it comes to communication security protocols. More and more New Republic personnel are transmitting unencrypted messages. While the Moffs attempt to consolidate forces and recover from the Jakku debacle, I have continued my search for Skywalker. I have picked up chatter that he was sighted on the planet Hodk II. It is a neutral planet, but they may be considering siding with the NR now that the New Republic handed the Empire a colossal setback. I graduate from my Intel Corps training next week. I will report to my new unit on Epta Prime, a small temperate world in the galactic inner rim. Once there I will be given the option of taking the standard two-weeks leave or save my vacation time for later. Maybe I will travel to Hodk II and try to get a glimpse of the NR golden boy. If I capture him I could send an encrypted message to the nearest Imperial ship and request a prisoner extraction.

* * *

 _ **Entry 7**_

I travelled to Hodk II in civilian clothing and with forged documentation. I felt there is no need to inform the border agents that I'm an Imperial. Fortunately there are only a few towns on the entire planet. I suspected the rebels could be found on the planet's sole spaceport called He'ghos. That hellhole not only has a refueling center, but the city is home to the highest number of taverns and prostitutes per capita than any other location on the planet.

I am certain I will find Skywalker there.

I have good reason to be confident. I have searched for other high profile marks and found them. The secret is _'know your enemy'_ and my criminal profiling skills are flawless. I have come up with a profile for this Rebel: He is a man in his early twenties and former moisture farmer from a sparsely populated planet and now he is the biggest hero of the rebellion and a self-proclaimed Jedi Knight. He is known and revered by rebels and NR sympathizers all over the galaxy. That rapid change of fortune, from farmer to hero, is a recipe for disaster. Sudden fame leads to substance abuse, debauchery and other self-destructive behaviors. My best guess is I can find Skywalker at some shady bar, drinking whiskey, leering at women and attempting to get any receptive female into bed by announcing he was the man who blew up the Death Star. It is typical bravado behavior seen in successful pilots and it is as disgusting as it is predictable.

The public transport shuttle I flew on to Hodk II set down at the He'ghos spaceport with a loud thud, followed by a screech of metal and a sudden jerk as the ship listed sharply due to a broken landing strut. Luckily I was still in my crash webbing. The foolish passengers who ignored the flashing _'Stay Seated'_ neon sign ended up flung into the far bulkhead. There was a lot of confusion, moaning and panicked passengers. When the shuttle stopped shuddering, I unbuckled, stood and grabbed my tote bag intent on leaving this entire fiasco behind me. I looked down the exit aisle and sighed in frustration when I realized in order to actually leave I would have to step over an extremely elderly and injured woman sobbing on the floor. I hesitated, wanting nothing more than to start my mission to capture Luke Skywalker, but, with a grunt of frustration, I tossed my bag onto my seat and knelt down to assist the injured passenger sprawled on the deck. I helped her into a sitting position and examined the gash on her head. She had grey hair, pallid blue eyes and fragile thin skin that was nearly translucent, but was quickly turning a bluish-black color from intense bruising. I reached back to my tote and pulled out a shirt and tore off a strip big enough to use as a bandage and pressed the cloth to the wound to quell the bleeding. "You'll be alright."

The elderly lady smiled appreciatively before she started to cry. "Thank you. In this galaxy full of evil, it is wonderful to find a young lady so caring."

I was startled by her words. _'When did I become caring?'_ The concept was foreign. So foreign, that I bristled at the comment, seeing it as a personal attack on my abilities as an assassin. Empathy was not part of my training. When I worked for the Emperor I never had pangs of a conscience…at least not this intense.

 _'What's happening to me?'_

As I tended the woman's wound, I started to wonder how much influence the Emperor actually had over me. Since his death I felt conflicted and I found myself having more and more disturbing episodes of…altruism.

I didn't have time to contemplate the matter as the shuttle was filling up with medics from the local hospital. "Help is here." I started to stand but the woman grabbed my hand preventing me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "My grandchildren always said I have prescience. Although, I think I'm simply a good judge of character. I can see you making a difference in this galaxy." She smiled. "Make a positive difference."

I felt a shimmering of the Force from the woman. She wasn't a Jedi, but she had some abilities. I quickly stood, grabbed my tote and elbowed my way out of the crowded shuttle.

"Make a positive difference," I scoffed under my breath. "I fully intended on making a positive difference…I am going to bring the Empire back to its former glory."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Entry 8**_

I have been to just about every cantina in the area and so far I haven't spotted Skywalker. I have met a lot of men claiming to be Skywalker in order to impress me. It is so pathetic that it's almost humorous. Some of these imposters aren't even human. In fact, a Quarren tried to pass himself off as Luke Skywalker. When I told him Skywalker was reportedly human he quickly responded with an ingenious lie, "That is what the Empire wants people to think. Their human-centric speciesism doesn't allow them to believe a nonhuman could have possibly destroyed their battle station." When I asked him how an aquatic species survived growing up on Tatooine he didn't have an answer for that. Some Rebels weren't bold enough to claim to be the fabled pilot (and the most wanted man on the Empire's hit list), instead they proclaimed to be Skywalker's wingman or best friend. These men assured me Skywalker was on the planet somewhere. I just have to continue my search.

* * *

 _ **Entry 9**_

I had left the hotel where I rented a room and had planned on checking out a few more taverns when I walked past a grassy recreational field where a group of men, mostly human, were playing a game of flingball. It is a game where teams toss a ball to each other and attempting to get the ball in the other team's net without getting tackled. It is a game popular on many worlds. I didn't give the players much notice until I heard one man yell, "Get it, Luke!" I turned to see the ball thrown to a blond man who immediately passed the ball to a teammate.

I watched the men play, wondering if I was observing Luke Skywalker. The man in question was blond and average stature—not some giant that New Republic propaganda would want me to believe. I considered calling out, "Skywalker!" to see if he would turn around, but then that would draw attention to me. Since I was convinced he was merely a pathetic Jedi wannabe, I decided to reach out with the Force and see if I could sense any nascent and faint Force abilities hidden within the man.

As soon as I stretched out with the Force his head snapped up, his eyes immediately focusing on me. I took a step back in shock. What I felt was not a man with minimal Force abilities—he was a beacon of the light side of the Force. The presence I felt was just as strong as Palpatine or Vader, minus the darkside malevolence.

When I noticed him walking toward me I broke eye contact and quickly walked toward my hotel. I couldn't confront him on the street in front of his comrades. My plan was to find him drunk in a bar and invite him back to my place where I would stun his rimworld butt and then place him in special-made stun cuffs the Inquisitorius once used to contain any Jedi captured after the purge. I couldn't do that in the open on a public street.

I could hear him calling to me. "Miss!"

I didn't turn around. I don't know if he sensed I was an Imperial or not, but I wasn't prepared to find out.

When I heard his footsteps go from a quick pace to a sprint I knew a confrontation was inevitable. I reached into my side jacket pocket and made sure my holdout blaster was set on stun.

"Miss," Skywalker said as he lightly touched my shoulder. "Can I talk to you?"

I stopped and clamped down on my emotions before I turned and feigned a startled expression. "What?" I asked with a contrived worried tone in my voice.

The young man stood in front of me, wide-eyed for a long moment apparently at a loss for words before I felt him gently probing through the Force. He was trying to figure out if I was a Force adept. I don't care how strong he is in the Force, he wasn't going to get through my mental shields.

"What do you want?" I asked pointedly while scrutinizing his face. He was definitely the Skywalker from the wanted posters except he was better looking than the composite drawings indicated. He had a clean-shaven baby face, dark blond hair, mesmerizing blue eyes, and cleft chin. When he noticed me looking at him he smiled revealing straight white teeth. Stang! He looked like he could be on a NR recruiting poster. "Well?" I asked impatiently.

"I uh…." The rebel hero cleared his throat while looking at the ground and scuffing at black boot over the dusty road. "Hi…ahh…my name is Luke."

I continued to stare at him wondering where he was going with this conversation. I don't even think he knew what he wanted to say. He looked up and down the road nervously before he said, "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

I knew he wanted to talk about the Force, but if I agreed to his request easily that might raise suspicion. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled. "I've seen you Rebel pilots in town recently. I hope you don't think I'm one of the local tramps that will sleep with any pilot to get off this dump of a planet." I considered slapping him for emphasis, but then thought better of it when he blushed profusely and averted his eyes. "Oh no…no…never….I just…I just." He stopped talking to reign in his composure. "Have you ever heard of the Force?"

My eyes narrowed. "It is some sort of religion outlawed on some worlds. Why?"

He drew in a deep breath. "It was the power the Jedi of the Old Republic utilized. Very few people can access its power. I think you are one of those people."

"And how would you know that?"

He once again looked around nervously. "Because I'm a Jedi."

It took every milligram of willpower not to laugh in his face. "That is the worst come-on line I have ever heard."

He looked so flustered at that point that I almost felt sorry for the man. "No really," he insisted.

I looked him up and down and smirked. "What next? Are you going to offer to show me your lightsaber?"

His eyes widened innocently. He opened his mouth to talk but quickly closed it. I was fairly sure he was about to run away. I decided it was time to stop playing hard-to-get. "You have peaked my curiosity…Jedi." I nodded toward the hotel a half block away. "I have a room where we can talk if you promise not to kill me."

"I promise," he said with a grin as he followed me down the road, into the hotel lobby, and down the hall to my room. Before I inserted the door keycard into the locking mechanism I looked at him sternly. "No funny business."

He shook his head. "No. I'm not that kind of guy."

Although I was trying to clamp down on the Force I couldn't help but sense the truthfulness behind his words. I realized that for the first time ever, I have been completely wrong when it came to coming up with a criminal personality profile. Skywalker wasn't the drunken womanizer I imagined he would become after a taste of celebrity. He somehow managed to maintain his sense of decency and a strong moral compass. I nodded as I unlocked the door and gestured for him to enter. "I believe you."

A wide boyish grin blossomed across his face and the delighted gleam in his blue eyes was full of such hope and promise… that I almost regretted pulling out my blaster and stunning him as soon as he crossed the threshold.

He managed to turn toward me before he collapsed. His look of surprise was comical. I wish I had a holovid imager to capture the moment. I could have made a humorous animated graphic and become a holonet sensation.

He might not be a Jedi, but he was strong in the Force, so I wasn't going to take any chances with him. I closed the door and then grabbed my tote, opened a hidden, ray shielded, compartment on the bottom of the bag and pulled out two sets of stuncuffs. I put a pair on his hands and one on his ankles before gagging him. That should hold him long enough for an undercover extraction team to get here.

Once he's delivered I will have proven my worth to the Empire.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Entry 10**_

I contacted my command using a portable encrypted transceiver. They were ecstatic. Capturing the hero of the NR would be a huge morale boost for Imperial troops.

After I ended the transmission I bent down next to Skywalker who I had left lying the floor. I checked his cuffs before I pulled out my blaster and sat on the bed to guard him. After about a half hour Skywalker's eyes started to flutter open. When he realized where he was he tried to stand. That sharp movement activated a sensor in the cuffs that sent a painful, but non-lethal, charge through my prisoner. He screamed from behind the gag and collapse back to the floor. I stood from where I was sitting and knelt down next to him. "Move again and you'll get more of that pain and don't bother trying to use the Force. The Inquisitorius used these cuffs to subdue Jedi that survived the purge. They work on the same concept as a Force cage. They send out a constant but weak field around your body. It disrupts a person's Force abilities."

He closed his eyes, dropped his head back to the floor and moaned. He then tried to talk but his words were unintelligible behind the gag. He stared at me beseechingly, silently begging me to let him speak. I heaved a sigh before pointing the blaster at him. "If I take the gag off are you going to scream for help? Because if you do I will just blast you and keep blasting you until my people get here. So, are you going to be a good boy?"

When he nodded, I reached out and pulled the gag out of his mouth. He gazed at me sadly. "Are you an Imperial?"

I smirked. "Yes and you are my prisoner." I thought he was going to spout out some bold claim that his friends will find him and I'll be sorry, but he simple nodded accepting his fate.

"What? No threats, bargaining, begging, pleading?"

He looked up at me. "Would any of that work?"

I laughed. "No."

He attempted to shrug but that caused a quick shock. "I guess there is no purpose in doing any of that then."

"You're right." I stood and went back to sitting on the edge of the bed.

"The Imperials are going to execute me on sight," he whispered, his voice miserable.

"That is absolutely not true," I said sardonically. "You'll be tortured, not killed. You are way too valuable as an intelligence asset."

I expected to see stark hatred in his eyes, but his expression was more a mixture of curiosity and sadness. "Since I am going to die..."

"Tortured," I corrected.

He blew out a frustrated breath. "Since I am going to be tortured…probably until I'm dead, will you at least tell me who you are?"

I chuckled. "I don't answer questions from prisoners."

"I know you are a Force adept. Were you trained by the Inquisitorius?"

"The Inquisitorius is no more," I said tersely. "Once Palpatine was gone the Moffs made sure all possible threats to their power were disbanded…or killed."

"But were you trained by the organization prior to their dissolution?"

I didn't answer.

"I'm going to assume that means yes."

"You can assume whatever you like," I said impatiently.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please don't do this. My sister is pregnant. I was hoping to see my newborn nephew. She is due to deliver any day now."

I looked away knowing exactly what he was doing. He was attempting to humanize himself—to create a bond between him and his captor. "Save it Skywalker. The Empire also teaches us what to do when captured. Don't try to cultivate a bond between us. It won't work."

He turned his gaze back to me. "Did Vader train you?"

I was about to give an emphatic, _'NO!'_ , but Vader did train some of the Inquisitors and I didn't want my connection to the Emperor exposed. "I'm not answering questions."

He was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. "You can switch over to the New Republic. We would welcome you. Some of our highest-ranking people are former Imperials. I sense you have Force abilities. Do you know how rare that is? You could train to be a Jedi."

I scoffed. "Why would I want to do that?"

He looked surprised by the question. He probably believes all the heroic Jedi drivel the Rebels spout. Rumor has it the core membership of the Rebellion were members of some Force loving cult. They even say, _'May the Force be with you'_ to each other despite the fact that they can't touch the Force and the Force couldn't care less about them.

"Because they protected the galaxy," Skywalker explained.

"No," I said unequivocally. "They were traitors that tried to overthrow the Chancellor."

He made a face, obviously disappointed in me. "You believe that Imperial propaganda? He was Sith!"

I gazed at him intently. "So? What exactly did he do to warrant the Jedi attacking him in his office?"

I grinned when Skywalker had to pause to formulate an answer. "He was Sith. That's enough."

"Why is that enough? Isn't being a Sith a belief system? If he didn't commit any crimes why do the Jedi think it is perfectly acceptable to barge into his office and try to kill him?"

His eyes narrowed. "I'm sure he did plenty of evil prior to that point. He authorized the building of the Death Stars."

I pointed a finger at him accusingly. "After he was attacked by the Jedi. Prior to the Jedi attack there is no mention in the history books of him doing anything illegal."

"That's because history is written by the winner."

I rolled my eyes. "This argument is pointless. I'm not going to release you so we can run off together and rebuild a society of Force-using traitors."

He looked away and frowned. "So you are going to use your Force abilities to help the Moffs?"

"The Moffs don't know…" I stopped in mid-sentence realizing Skywalker knew something about me that I definitely didn't want the Imperial leadership discovering. The Moffs hate Force users and probably would kill me outright if they discovered my abilities. I closed my eyes and squeezed the bridge of my nose. When I formulated this plan I never imagined Skywalker could sense my Force abilities. If he was tortured he might confess that a Force-strong Imperial captured him. That was attention I didn't need. I looked down at the man and wondered if I should shoot him and claim he was trying to escape. Bringing in a dead Rebel hero might be as good as a live one.

I shook my head in frustration. Killing an unarmed and shackled prisoner didn't sit well with me. I've killed before, but I've never shot a prisoner. Also, if I killed him there would be questions and probably a demotion for letting a key source of intelligence die in my hands.

I thought about the situation for along time before coming to a decision. I walked over and sat on the floor next to him. He looked up to me questioningly. "I like you Skywalker," I lied. "Capturing you is nothing personal. You are just a stepping-stone to a promotion. All I have to do is turn you over to my superiors. It wouldn't be my fault if you escaped in transit…and that might be possible if the Force debilitating function of those cuffs were turned off. You could do a Jedi mind trick or Force shove the guards or whatever you were taught to do by whoever trained you."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And why would you do that for me?"

"Like I said, this isn't personal." I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I do want something in exchange."

"And that is?"

I pointed the blaster towards him for emphasis. "I don't want you telling anybody I have Force abilities. I left my old life behind me and I rather the Moffs not know about those particular skills. So, I'll make you a deal, when my people get here, I will deactivate the Force field generated by the cuffs if you keep my confidence. Do you think you can manage to get out of normal cuffs?"

"Yes," he said slowly. "What if your people realize the cuffs weren't active?

I rolled my eyes. "I really doubt any mainstream Imperial even knows about Jedi binders." I gazed into his clear blue eyes. "What do you say, do we have a deal?"

He blinked a few times in thought. I don't know what he was thinking about. I was giving him the deal of a lifetime. "Deal." Skywalker then took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "What type of Force training did you receive?"

"What is your fascination with me and my training?" I shook my head. "Do I need to stun your ass to keep you quiet?"

I was surprised when he laughed softly and smiled. "Give me the luxury of conversation. After all, you are probably going to be the best company I am going to have for the remainder of my short life…and probably the best looking."

I shook my head at his brazenness. "I'm still not going to fall for your bonding attempts." I stood and returned to the bed, reclined on my side and propped my head up on hand and elbow. "You said you can get out of those cuffs when the field is turned off. So why do you think you are going to die?"

He rolled from his side to his back and grimaced when a shock ran through his body. "They might have a Force cage. A lot of things can go wrong." I could see him trying to look at me without moving his head. "Why do you think I'll get away?"

I stared at him for a moment considering if I wanted to answer that question or not. In the end, I decided it didn't matter. "I haven't felt somebody as powerful as you in the Force for a long time."

He scoffed. "But here I am cuffed and lying on the floor of a seedy hotel."

"Enjoy it. If you don't escape I suspect you'll miss the comfort of this filthy and exceedingly tacky floral shag carpet."

He grimaced. "True. Aren't you worried that I will escape and then make it known that you arranged for my easy getaway?"

I quickly sat up in bed and pointed the blaster at him. "I wasn't worried about that before, but I am now."

He gave me a calm boyish grin that irritated me to no end. I have never seen a person on the firing end of my blaster that remained so composed and collected. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do that. You're a good person…despite stunning and turning me over to be tortured."

My eyes narrowed in irritation. "You are the second person this week to say that to me! Why do you think that?"

"You are also a powerful Force user and you draw heavily on the lightside of the Force. You're not evil…you're a loyal Imperial."

I leaned back on the bed as a headache started to form behind my eyes. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Okay," he whispered. "Will you at least tell me your name?"

I didn't see any reason not to tell him so I gave him my alias. "Litassa Colay."

"Litassa," he said quietly. "That's a beautiful name."

I gave a grunt. "Your attempts at bonding are still not working."

A soft smile crossed his lips. "Maybe next time we meet, I'll do better."

"Good luck with that," I said with a dry laugh. I looked to my wrist chrono and sighed, it would be hours before an Imperial ship could get here. "Get some sleep," I told my prisoner. "If you don't escape, who knows when you'll sleep again."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Entry 11**_

Skywalker remained on his back, silently staring at the ceiling, refusing to sleep…not that I blame him. I doubt I could sleep if I knew the enemy was coming for me. I know I told him I didn't want to talk, but watching my prone prisoner was becoming extremely boring. This was almost as bad as doing surveillance duty. "Can't sleep?" I asked, breaking the silence.

He gave me a sideways glance. "This carpet smells like pittin urine, my athletic shirt and sweat pants are soaked from perspiration from playing flingball, every time I move I get a shock, I'm waiting to be hauled off by the Imperials, and I'm being held at blasterpoint by a very…distracting woman. So no, I can't sleep. I'm hungry though."

I gave an unladylike snort. "With everything you are facing, I would think you would lose your appetite." I went over to my tote bag and pulled out a couple ration bars I had brought with me. I tossed one to Skywalker. "Eat up."

He started to move, but then thought better of it. "Can you turn off the shock portion of these bindings?"

I gazed at him for a moment in thought. "So you can attack me?"

"No," he said with a tinge of irritation in his voice. "So I can eat without being shocked."

I reached into my tote and pulled out a small remote control. It allows me to activate and deactivate the Jedi binders without having to actually having contact with the prisoner. I pointed my blaster at the Jedi as a warning before deactivating the shock portion of the cuffs while keeping the Force-debilitating function on. "It's off."

He moved his arms slightly making sure I was being truthful. When he didn't receive a jolt he sat up and picked up the bar with his bound hands. He looked up and gestured toward a chair in the room. "Can I get off this carpet and sit?"

I nodded and motioned toward the chair. "Just remember I have a blaster trained on you. If you resist or try to escape our deal will be off and I'll just take my chances with the Imperial leadership knowing I'm a Force adept."

He maneuvered himself to his knees and stood. He turned and gave me a tired look. "I will keep my end of the bargain if you keep yours." He sat in the chair and ripped open the ration bar wrapper with his teeth and began devouring the chocolate covered nut/grain bar. After he was done he leaned back in his chair and regarded me. "How'd you find me? Were you looking for me specifically, or did you simply stumble upon me and my men?"

I shook my head. "I'm not answering any questions from you."

He raised an eyebrow. "How come you're not interrogating me? You are Imperial Intelligence, aren't you?" He turned in his chair to face me fully. "You assume I am going to escape…so why aren't you trying to beat information out of me?"

I chuckled. "Right now we have an understanding. Each of us needs to keep our part of the bargain and I doubt torturing you for information will motivate you to keep your mouth shut when it comes to me and my Force abilities."

"True," he said with a nod. "You look younger than me. How long have you been with the Imperials?"

Before I could censor myself I muttered the answer. "All my life."

There was genuine surprise on his face. "They recruited you as a child? I heard rumors that the Empire abducted children and forced them to train as Imperial soldiers, or in your case, the Inquisitorius, but I thought that was a more recent turn of events."

I scowled at him. "The Empire doesn't kidnap kids and make them become soldiers." I stood and paced the floor in front of him. "That is New Republic propaganda." I pointed to him accusingly. "If anything your defunct Jedi Order were the ones abducting Force strong children and forcing them to become Knights."

He gave a shake of his head. "You've been with the Empire all your life, but you weren't kidnapped." He leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me then, how _did_ that happen? Did your parents give you over to the Empire?"

Gods! I hate this man. He's making me think about things I would rather not consider. I was told a story explaining how I came under the tutelage of the Emperor, but even I didn't believe the veracity of that tale.

"No answer for that?" Skywalker said smugly.

I hadn't intended on responding to the question, but his self-righteousness rubbed me the wrong way. "I _was_ kidnapped, but not by the Empire. The Jedi snatched me from my parents as a newborn. When the Jedi purge happened I was found in the temple and saved."

I omitted the part of the story that it was Darth Vader himself that supposedly spared my life. That didn't sound in anyway believable. Vader was the embodiment of evil. I wouldn't be surprised if he drowned baby pittins as a hobby.

Skywalker shook his head sadly. "More Imperial propaganda. The Jedi didn't kidnap children. Parents brought their younglings to the Temple to be trained. Who wouldn't want their child to become a Jedi Knight?"

I rolled my eyes at Skywalker's naiveté. He obviously didn't have children. There was no way in the Nine Corellian Hells that all parents gladly turned their babies over to the Jedi Order. I abruptly snatched the holoprojector remote off of the dresser and activated the device. "No more conversation. We'll watch the news."

He gave a soft chuckle. Obviously he believes he's right and I'm wrong. Let him believe what he wants. The Empire didn't kidnap me. I wouldn't work for an organization that abducts children.

About an hour later, a small imperial security force in civilian clothes arrived to my doorstep to take control of the prisoner. As the men moved to where the Jedi sat, I surreptitiously turned off the Force incapacitating field. He gave me a sad smile before he was grabbed by a couple troopers and hustled out of the hotel.

I made a false report to the Captain overseeing the extraction. I told him I was on vacation in neutral territory when Skywalker approached me at a bar. I recognized him immediately and invited him back to my room. There I subdued him and then made the call for Imperial assistance.

He believed me.

I followed the Captain to the door and watched as his men walked Skywalker down the street at a fast pace. The Jedi did not resist. I suspect he was waiting for the proper moment to make his escape. He did turn once and gave me a glum backwards glance that almost made me feel bad for the man…almost.

I closed the door of my hotel room and started to pack. If he did escape I wanted to be far away…just in case he decided to exact revenge.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Entry 12**_

I booked the next shuttle off that horrendous planet. When I got back to my unit my company commander, Commander Darten, commended me on capturing Skywalker. Darten is a middle-aged man that keeps fit, has a mellow personality and is surprisingly competent. Overall he is a decent officer. After the congratulations he frowned and gave me the 'bad' news.

"Unfortunately the inept troopers they sent down to retrieve Skywalker let him escape before they could even get their shuttle off the ground. He must have alerted his unit because reports indicate a small detail of X-Wing fighters scrambled off the planet shortly after he fled."

"Did the _Eradicator_ destroy the X-Wings. Is Skywalker dead?" I was surprised by my sudden concern. After a moment of thought I realized Skywalker's attempts to humanize himself were far more effective than I imagined.

' _He is good,'_ I thought.

"No they didn't destroy the X-Wings," Commander Darten said darkly. "The Star Destroyer _Eradicator_ didn't actually go to the planet, but instead they sent a Svelte-class Imperial Shuttle to the planet alone. The shuttle was heavily armed with blaster and laser cannons and they may have prevented some of the X-Wings from escaping, but it appears Skywalker managed to incapacitate the pilots, gunners and the entire squad of troopers who were supposed to transport him to the Star Destroyer."

"Oh," I said while suppressing a smile. "That's odd. I didn't have any trouble detaining him."

My commander grinned. "He's a young man…perhaps he enjoyed the company."

I gave a coy look. I didn't want anybody to know about the Inquisitor stuncuffs, so if he wanted to believe I used my feminine wiles to deter Skywalker from making an escape attempt, then he was free to believe so. "I do think the man may have been somewhat smitten."

"I don't blame him." He leaned back again a wall, his brow furrowing in thought. "What I find odd is he didn't kill any of the Imperials. He obviously could have, but he didn't." He gave me a knowing look that made me uneasy. "Why would he do that?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know why?"

A smirk crossed his face as he pushed off from the wall and motioned toward his office door. "I'd like to talk to you in private."

I looked to my commander and then his office as I tried to figure out what was going on. Did he find out about the Jedi binders after all? I drew in a deep breath and steeled myself for whatever was going to happen next. I suppose I could do a mind-trick or memory rub on the man, but I really didn't want to blow my cover and start over in reestablishing a new identity. "Yes, Sir." We entered his office where he walked around to his desk chair and sat down. I positioned myself in front of his desk and stood at attention. He pointed to a chair behind me. "Please sit down." I nodded, stepped back and sat.

He put his hands on his desk with his fingers interlaced as he stared at me intently. "I read your report. Is there anything you want to add?"

My eyes closed for a second as I realized this man was on to me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He is an intelligence officer with almost two decades of experience. Still, I wasn't going to volunteer information. This might be a fishing expedition.

"What do you mean, Sir?"

He chuckled. "Nowhere in the report does it mention that Skywalker tried to recruit you to switch sides. He did try to recruit you, didn't he?"

"What?" I was thrown off kilter by this line of questioning. "No, he didn't try to recruit me," I lied emphatically. "Why would you think that?"

His smile grew wider. "Please don't lie to me. I've been doing this job for a long time. It is standard operating procedure for captured rebels to attempt to recruit their captors when apprehended. Are you saying Skywalker just sat quietly as you waited for the Imperial extraction team?"

I wasn't sure how I should play this. I could tell him I kept him stunned the entire time or that he did try to recruit me and I turned him down.

Before I could answer Commander Darten continued. "Skywalker has no problem when it comes to killing Imperials. The destruction of the Death Star probably brought his body count close to a million…but he suddenly decided to spare a group of Imperials that were going to deliver him to an interrogation droid. There was no reason to spare their lives." He paused to scrutinize my reaction before continuing. "Listen, Specialist Colay, I understand a young solider would be nervous about putting something like that down in a report, but realize I expect a rebel to attempt to turn you and my superiors expect it also. If you omit details like that they may start to believe something else is going on."

I was getting more and more apprehensive by this conversation, but despite the uncomfortable turn of events I didn't sense any danger or animosity from my commander…just concern. "Like what, Sir?"

He leaned forward in his seat. "You are a new recruit with no prior military experience, but you managed to capture and hold Skywalker. If you start leaving out important details from your report my superiors may believe you've been sent here as a rebel infiltrator and that your capture of Skywalker was staged to help your career and allow you further access to Imperial intelligence."

"I am no rebel!" I said defensively. I blew out a breath and as I tried to come up with a way to extricate myself from this situation. "Skywalker did try to get me to come over to his side in the war. I should have put that in the report, but I thought…" I trailed off hoping my Commander would fill in the blanks.

"You thought it would make me suspicious of your loyalty?" He said softly. "The opposite is true. He tried to tempt you, but you resisted. That is commendable…but I have to warn you. I won't tolerate omissions in future reports."

I gave a sigh of relief. "Yes, Sir."

"Let me explain to you why Skywalker did what he did." His voice softened and took on a paternal tone. "He attempts to recruit you. You reject his offer, but he is still hopeful, so he doesn't want to totally alienate you by killing the Imperials you requested for extraction. If he did that it could fuel within you unbridled hatred toward him and the Rebellion. He didn't kill those men because he is grooming you. If, in the future, he meets you again he wants to be remembered as the merciful rebel…the good guy. This may make you more susceptible to any future proposals. It is a standard intelligence technique."

I bristled at his explanation…mainly because Commander Darten was probably right and I didn't see the possibility until he mentioned it. I assumed Skywalker was a backwards rube, but obviously he's been thoroughly trained in counterintelligence. I won't underestimate the man again.

"I can guarantee I will never _ever_ be receptive to any proposals coming from Skywalker." When Commander Darten didn't look convinced I added, "Don't worry, Sir, I will remain vigilant." I paused for a moment not being able to get a read on the man. "Am I under suspicion at this time?" I was hoping I didn't screw things up by capturing the Jedi. I already misjudged Skywalker and apparently I grossly underestimated Commander Darten.

He shook his head. "No, not at all." He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "As I said before I have been doing this for a very long time and I have developed a keen judge of character. You are a bright, motivated and resourceful soldier…but I also sense you are a loyal Imperial." He stood and walked to his door indicating I was about to be dismissed. "Rebel spies assassinated two of my senior field agents last week…so there are now vacancies in the officer ranks. You are wasting your talents as an enlisted soldier. If you like, I can recommend you for a field promotion to Junior Lieutenant. Anybody that can capture the Empire's most wanted man weeks after graduating from Intel school should be rewarded."

A lesser person would have paused at the thought of taking a position vacated by murder, but I'm not a lesser person. "I'd like that. Thank you sir." I tried to keep the smugness out voice but didn't quite succeed. "I should get back to work." I rose from my seat and strode out of his office and into the corridor. "I'll amend my report and resubmit it to you promptly."

"Good. You're doing fine work." He paused for a second. "It's almost like you were born to do this job."

He closed the door to his office leaving me in the hallway wondering what he meant by that comment.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Entry 13**_

It took a while, but my promotion to Junior Lieutenant finally came through. I had to attend a three-month Officer Candidate School prior to my commissioning ceremony, but that is a small sacrifice to bring my career back on track. I may never regain the prestige of being The Emperor's Hand, but I have found independence and regaining control of my life is an equitable exchange. I never realized how much I disliked having a decrepit Sith Lord popping up in my head until he died and I was free. I can now have privacy of my thoughts and the ability to determine my own fate.

Once back to my unit I immediately got down to the business of proving myself invaluable to the Empire, but unfortunately the Empire is floundering. The defeat on Jakku was devastating to our military strength and troop morale…and now we have another problem. I have been hearing chatter in the intelligence community of a strong leader emerging from one of our breakaway fleets that fled to the unknown region. If this is true, and the unnamed leader has no intention of uniting with the current Imperial remnant, we may face a civil war. That would only weaken us further. The Empire needs to unify all the scattered fleets and defeat the Rebels once and for all.

 _ **Entry 14**_

The Empire must be getting desperate for recruits. They have opened up all combat arms occupations to women. Three women are now attending the challenging Stormtrooper Academy. All I can say is ' _better them than me'_. They are simply feminine cannon fodder unless the Imperial leadership can start conducting successful military operations. Still, it is good to see women moving into fields that were once closed to them.

 _ **Entry 15**_

We definitely have an uptick of activity in the unknown regions. We believe one of the Moff's has consolidated with other leaders to strengthen their hold of the sector they reside in. Whoever is leading the group is smart. Unlike the remains of the old Empire, which is flying around the galaxy trying to regain hold of hundreds of planets, they are reorganizing in one location probably with the intent of eventually expanding out from their central location.

Commander Darten asked me if I felt confident enough to do field recon. I told him I am more than ready. He gave me orders to fly out to the Unknown Region and try to figure out who is in charge of this active splinter group. Supposedly the Empire has sent out a number of ships to negotiate a reconsolidation, but they never returned. Either they were killed or they defected to this new Empire. I find it ironic that I am not sent to spy on the rebels, but other Imperials. When I asked Commander Darten why we weren't pursuing the rebels he said something cryptic. _"_ The New Republic might not be a problem to us for very long."

"Why is that?"

He gave me an apologetic shrug. "The answer to that is above your security clearance, but you'll find out soon enough."

 _ **Entry 16**_

The trouble with the Unknown Region is it is unknown. I saw reports of ship activity on Rallo V. It is a small planet with breathable air near the edge of the Unknown regions. I wish I could have taken an Imperial shuttle there, but my commanding officer said I should use public transport to maintain my cover.

It was a long, long trip. The Empire only paid for economy accommodations and I ended up sitting between a Twi'lek and an Aqualish. The Twi'lek had a hard time keeping her lekku in her own space and the Aqualish smelled like rotting fish. Three rows up was a baby crying continuously while his or her mother made apologetic gestures to the other passengers explaining the baby was colic.

I was so relieved to arrive at Rallo V.

Imperial intelligence was correct about the increased amount of activity. There are huge amounts of cargo ships going in and out of the spaceports. After some questioning I discovered most of it was industrial cargo going to a planet only identified as _Fringe_. The spacers said they would be given coordinates to follow from Rallo V, but only when the time came to calculate the hyperspace jump. I couldn't find a pilot who had already made the trip and back. Returning pilots would have the destination information. I needed to find someone who has done the cargo run. I decided the best way to mingle with pilots was to go where they hung out…meaning cantinas. I made the rounds to various taverns and spun a tale that I was a freighter pilot looking for a job. That didn't help. The pilots traveling into the Unknown Region said they were contacted through an anonymous person who wired credits directly into their banking accounts. They never met their employer and didn't know how to get in contact with them.

I was thinking this trip was a bust when I saw somebody familiar. I didn't know his name, but I am sure it was one of the rebels I talked to on Hodk II. That didn't surprise me. I am sure the New Republic noticed the same activity and sent someone to check it out.

I ordered a drink and watched the rebel as he flirted with a couple of Twi'lek waitresses.

"Here's your drink," the barkeeper said placing a glass of brown liquid in front of me. I had bravely ordered the local special, not knowing what was in it. I sniffed the sweet smelling fluid before I took a sip. It was good. I finished the glass in two gulps and then turned my attention back to the rebel.

It wasn't long before I started to feel dizzy and out of sorts. At first I thought the local special must have been stronger than I expected. I waved the bartender over. "What is in this drink?" I said with the start of a noticeable slur.

He thought about it for a moment while looking at his alcohol bottles lines up on the back shelf. "Shots of whiskey, rum, spice liqueur, lum, blue tonic and Secta spice."

I groaned inwardly knowing I always reacted badly to Secta spice. It was a semi-legal stimulant and nothing like Nyriaan spice or other highly addictive substances, but for some reason it always made me loopy. Why I have such as adverse reaction to such a mild stimulant is unknown. The Imperial doctors thought I might be allergic but they never bothered to do an allergy skin test to verify. I pulled out some credits and paid the man and then slid off my chair with every intention of getting back to my hotel room and trying to use the Force to purge my body of the substance or at least ride out this intoxicated state in the safety of my room.

I aimed my body toward the exit and took a few tentative, wobbly steps that felt like I was walking on the rolling deck of a ship. I was halfway to the door when a smarmy looking male came up to me and tried to make chitchat.

"Here, let me help you, little lady," the creepy human said as he put his arm around my waist. Normally I would end this conversation with the introduction of my knee to his groin, but I was fairly sure I needed both feet firmly on the ground to remain in an upright position. I was considering my options when I began to lose focus.

I faintly remember a second man confronting the sleemo that was bothering me. There was an argument and I recall hearing a man say, "Back off! She's mine", and then blackness.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Entry 17**_

I woke up with a raging headache, my hands and feet shackled and a gag in my mouth. I looked around and found myself lying on a bed in a hotel room. I glanced down and was relieved to find myself fully clothed…meaning I probably wasn't dragged away by that slimy guy in the bar. Unfortunately, it suggests my captor is probably that rebel I spotted earlier. He must have made me as an Imperial spy. I shouldn't be surprised. The entire rebel command probably has a bounty on my head in response to me capturing their star rebel, Luke Skywalker.

I can't believe I found myself in this type of situation. It was stupid—a stupid, stupid mistake on my part. I closed my eyes and silently chastised myself. This would have never happened while I was the Emperor's Hand. In the last year my skills have waned and I have become sloppy. I should have asked for the ingredients when buying an unknown drink, but I never had such a bad of a response to spice…never. I started wonder if somebody actually slipped something in my drink while I was focused on that Rebel.

I examined my bindings. They were shock cuffs, but the shock part apparently wasn't activated. I knew how to release cuffs with the Force, so I assumed I'd be out of them quickly. I concentrated, willing the cuffs to release, but nothing happened. It was then I realized these were the same type of Inquisitor stun cuffs I had used on Skywalker. The shocking mechanism was turned off but the field that prevents a person from touching the Force was active.

I sat up in the bed and looked around the empty room. There was one window with curtains drawn and one exit. I struggled into a sitting position intent on shuffling to the door and making my escape. Hopefully I was in a populated area and the local police would release me from my bindings…so I could then hunt down and capture the rebel responsible for my capture. Or better yet, I get out of these binding and call in an Imperial death squad to scour this port for insurgents. I was in the process of standing when the door opened and a man entered carrying bags of what smelled like take-out bantha ribs. He smiled widely when he saw I was awake. "Hello Litassa."

 _SKYWALKER!_ That slimy kriff kidnapped me. I bet I was drugged! He must have saw me and decided to get his revenge. I tried to scream at him through my gag but it all came out as mumbles.

He grinned as he put down the bags of food on a small table in the room. He then pulled out a small blaster from under his jacket. "I'm just setting this on stun, just in case you decide to scream." His blue eyes twinkled with amusement. He obviously enjoyed being on the other side of the blaster. "If I remove your gag, do you promise not to scream? Because if you do I will be forced to stun you."

I gritted my teeth angrily, knowing full well he was mocking my little speech I gave him the last time we were together. I gave him a brusque nod of my head. He smiled and removed the gag from my mouth. I glared at him murderously. "I can't believe you kidnapped me. Did you drug my drink?"

Skywalker waved his hands in front of his body as to ward off the accusation. "Oh no, no, no. I had nothing to do with that. I had a doctor come to the room to check on you and he said it was spice poisoning. He gave you an antidote." He took on an expression of concern. "That is a nasty habit. You should try to quit."

"I am not a spice addict," I growled between clenched teeth. "I'm allergic to spice. I didn't know the local drink was spiked with it." I looked down at my bindings. "Didn't the doctor wonder why you had a cuffed and unconscious woman in your bed…or is that something people expect from rebels."

He chuckled. "I didn't cuff you until after the doctor left." He grabbed a chair from the small dining area, dragged it next to the bed and sat down. "I was surprised to see you in the tavern. When I noticed you were in trouble I thought I would jump in and rescue you."

"And your idea of a rescue involved stuncuffing, gagging, and throwing me onto your bed?"

"No, but I didn't want to get another one of these." He stood and pulled up his shirt revealing a nice set of abdominal muscles along with a large bruise on the side of his ribcage. "You have a wicked jab."

A feral grin crossed my face. "I'm glad I put up a fight…even if I don't remember hitting you in the bar."

He shook his head. "I got this after the doctor left. He said you might be out for hours, so I decided to try to put you into a healing trance. As soon as I reached out with the Force your eyes popped open and you attacked me while screaming, 'Get out of my head!' I had to cuff you to make sure you didn't kill me or hurt yourself." He motioned to the bindings. "Those are the ones you used on me."

I rolled my eyes. "How sentimental." I gazed at him questioningly. "So now that I am awake and lucid, what are your intentions? Are you turning me over to the New Republic?" I looked to him defiantly. "I warn you, you're not getting any information out of me. I've been trained to resist torture."

He leaned back in his chair and regarded me with a soft smile. "To be honest, I did intend on turning you over to the New Republic…with the condition of no torture or mistreatment of my prisoner, but things have changed dramatically in the last hour or two." He beamed happily as he used the Force to levitate the holoprojector remote to his hand. He turned on the machine and twitched channels until it came to a news program. There, floating above the projector base was a scene of people celebrating and the scroll at the bottom of the image had the words, _'Peace treaty signed'_.

"While I was out picking up dinner I found out the New Republic and the Empire signed a peace treaty." His lips curved up into a sincere smile. "Rest assured, nobody is going to torture you."

My eyelids fluttered shut in frustration. Now I understood what Commander Darten was talking about when he said the New Republic might no longer be a problem. I opened my eyes and focused on my captor. "So, if these cuffs are not to subdue a prisoner…what plans _do_ you have?"

He gave me a sheepish grin. "I have no other plans but to release you and ask you to have dinner with me…unless you consider chargrilled ribs torture."

I made a scoffing sound. "The food sounds fine, having you as a dinner companion might be considered torture."

He laughed, slow and easy. "That's harsh. I thought Intelligence officers were trained to seduce and manipulate."

"More like track and kill."

"You didn't kill me before," he said softly. 'Were you tracking me today? Is that why you're here? Have you become my own personal Imperial stalker? I'm honored that I warrant such attention from the Empire…or are you pursuing me for more personal reasons?"

I rolled on my back and stared at the ceiling. "Don't flatter yourself."

He laughed as he motioned to the table. "I got a lot of food, we are no longer enemies, and I thought maybe we can share some information on what is going on in the unknown region. Our intelligence data suggests the Empire is not involved. I suspect you are here doing the same thing I was…spying and trying to find out the reason for all these cargo runs."

That caught my attention. "Have you found out anything?"

He gave a casual shrug. "I have bits and pieces of information I am willing to share."

"Fine, release me and we can talk."

He must have detected the sincerity in my words because he removed the stun cuffs, but I noticed he kept his blaster by his side. I massaged my wrists where the bindings had rubbed harshly against my skin. Skywalker noticed my movement and frowned. "Sorry. I didn't think they were on that tight." He pulled out a chair from the table, offering me a seat. I accepted the chivalrous gesture without comment. He grinned as he grabbed his chair and sat down across from me. "I hope you like ribs with sauce."

" I do," I admitted reluctantly. He opened up a container with steaming meat sliding off the bone and a handed me a plasto plate and a stack of napkins. We ate silently for a few minutes before I looked up to him and forced a smile on my lips. "Thank you for saving me from that lecher. I can't believe I took a drink without asking the ingredients."

"I think you were distracted by one of my fellow Rebel pilots." He wiped a gob of sauce off his face before continuing. "Thank you for deactivating the cuffs before you turned me over to your superiors. Did you get your promotion?"

I nodded.

He smiled widely. "Good. It all worked out then. And I'm glad we are no longer adversaries."

I gave him a frigid stare. "The New Republic and the Empire are no longer enemies. That doesn't mean we are going to get all chummy. What information do you have about what is going on in the Unknown Region?"

I saw his jaw tighten. I think he wanted this to be some sort of date.

 _'Yeah,_ _Dream on Skywalker._

He leaned forward in his seat. "We believe somebody is building another Death Star."

I laughed so hard I almost choked on my food. "The first two didn't work out, why would anybody think they'd get it right on the third try?"

Skywalker picked up a rib and pointed it to me. "Well, somebody is building something big out there. The cargo list includes massive weapons systems, ore shipments, computer systems, and the list goes on. What can you tell me?"

I gave an apologetic shrug. "Nothing more than that, but there is chatter about a new leader amassing troops out there. After the Emperor's death we had a few Moffs defect and move their fleets to parts unknown. It could be the Moffs grew a brain and decided they were more effective working together. If that is true, they are operating independent of the Empire."

"That's not much information." He blew out a frustrated breath, before returning his attention to me and smiling. "Tell me a little more about yourself."

I shook my head. "The treaty does not make us friends."

He looked down at his plate and smiled sadly. "Okay." He took a few more bites of his food before leaning back in his chair and gazing at my curiously. "Is there anything you want to know from me?"

I wiped the sauce off my face and nodded. "Yes, I would like the location of all New Republic bases and a list of your military assets."

"I meant about me."

I took another bit of ribs while contemplating what to ask him. "Who trained you to be a Jedi?"

"A Jedi Master named Yoda who survived the Jedi purge."

The name meant nothing to me, which isn't a surprise, Palpatine had the Jedi Temple burned to the ground and all references to the Jedi removed from the library databases years before I was born. "Did you start training as a boy?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't even know I had Force abilities until I was eighteen."

I looked at him incredulously. "How is that possible? Usually a child will utilize the Force by accident and eventually see the connection between cause and effect."

He shrugged. "I think it has something to do with living on a desert world. I was told ' _the Force is generated by all living things'_. Tatooine is not abundant in life. From my house I could look in all directions and not see another living soul. I think it mutes the Force. I suspect I was brought to Tatooine to hide me and the fact I was a Force adept."

"Did your sister grow up there with you?"

He shook his head. "We were separated at birth. She grew up on Alderaan."

I grimaced. The destruction of Alderaan was not a popular subject even among Imperials. Most of the Moffs had at least one friend, relative or casual acquaintance on the planet when it was annihilated by Tarkin's unjustifiable show of Force. "Sorry. It's good she wasn't on the planet when it was destroyed." I took a sip of the drink Skywalker bought for me. "Why was she allowed to live on a highly populated world? Couldn't somebody figure out she was a Force user?"

He swallowed the food in his mouth before answering. "My sister's grasp of the Force is tenuous. She is a Force adept, but only a fraction of what I have." He gave a good-humored grin. "But she makes up for it in other ways. She is a lot smarter than me."

"That shouldn't be hard to do," I quipped. "Did she have her baby?"

Through the Force I could feel pure joy radiating from him. "Yes. She had a healthy baby boy she named Ben."

I gave him a curt nod, "Good." I wiped the sauce off my hands and face with a napkin and stood. "That was a lovely meal. Thanks for saving my butt, but I have to go."

"Wait, wait," he stood hands out pleading. "I want to talk to you about leaving the military and possibly training with me."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled in amusement. "My job with the Empire pays forty-five thousand credits a year, plus room and board…what are you offering?"

His eyes went wide. "The Empire really pays that much?"

"They can afford to build two Death Stars, money was never an issue." I shook my head and laughed. "Of course, that big promotion helped. It came with an enormous pay raise. So I have to thank you for that."

"You're welcome," he said dryly before shoving his hands deep in his pocket and staring at the floor in thought. "Litassa, there is more to life than money."

I scoffed and began walking to the door. "Those are the words of a man who can't pay a decent wage."

He moved past me and blocked the exit. "Have you considered becoming a Jedi and working for the good of the Galaxy? I can train you."

I scowled as I reached forward and pushed my finger against his chest. "First of all, I already work for the good of the Galaxy. We are the legitimate government and you are _rebels_." I stepped back and looked him up and down. "Second, I really doubt a person who learned about his Force potential just a few years ago can possibly teach me anything. I have been training all my life."

He looked a little crestfallen. "But you said I was one of the strongest Force adepts you've seen."

"Yes," I said forcefully. "And that makes you a very dangerous man. An ill-trained, extremely powerful Force user is just as safe as giving a child a thermal detonator and telling him to go outside and play. You are partially trained and you want to teach other Force users? That is a recipe for disaster. You need to go back to your Master and train for another dozen years and maybe…just maybe…you'll be ready to teach."

His head drooped in defeat. "My Master is dead. I am the last of the Jedi."

I moved around him and opened the door. Before I departed I looked back and gave him a stern warning. "Maybe it is best that you keep it that way."

As I walked out of the hotel room he called out to me. "Litassa, stay and we can train together. I'm sure there is a lot we can teach each other."

I stopped and turned. "I don't want to be a Jedi."

"Why?"

"I've seen up-close and personal what the Force can do to people. The darkside is tempting. It's like spice. I managed to fight the temptation…but I am tired of fighting. I don't want to train to increase my power and risk…everything." I glared at him accusingly. "And neither should you!"

With that I left, leaving Luke Skywalker sulking in the doorway.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Entry 18**_

After leaving Skywalker I went back to my hotel to contact my commanding officer. The peace treaty between the New Republic and the Empire could result in a modification of my orders and a change of my current mission.

When I arrived to my room I locked the door and pulled the shades. I then retrieved my encrypted portable transceiver from the hidden compartment in my luggage and keyed the code for Commander Darten.

Eventually the image of my senior officer appeared above the transceiver projection base. He smiled good-naturedly. "You must have heard the news, Colay."

I nodded. "Yes sir. Do I continue on my current mission?"

He rubbed a hand over his chin in thought. "Yes, continue what you're doing. There's something going on in the unknown region. Either it is a wayward Moff consolidating power, the New Republic, or some entirely different entity amassing weapons and technical systems in that area. We need to know what's out there. Have you had any progress?"

I shook my head. "The traders delivering products to the region said they don't know the coordinates of their destination. They were told to go to a specific area in space and wait to be contacted. I haven't found anybody who has previously made the trip, but I haven't heard any rumors of missing cargo haulers. If people were going into the unknown regions and not coming out, we'd hear about that."

"That's true." He gave a curt nod of his head. "When our recon group didn't return that definitely didn't go unnoticed."

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I need to report that the rebels are here investigating the same thing I am…specifically Luke Skywalker."

Commander Darten smiled widely. "Oh, is he now? That gives credence to the notion that the New Republic isn't involved with the shipments." He leaned forward toward the transmission camera and grinned. "Did he see you? I bet that put a scare into the man."

I glanced away, embarrassed that only a peace treaty prevented me from becoming the rebel's prisoner. "He saw me sir. He didn't appear to be nervous." I hesitated for a moment. "You're right, sir. He did try to recruit me again."

Commander Darten continued to grin and his incessant smile was beginning to unnerve me. "He _is_ insistent."

I averted my eyes. "I said no, and quite emphatically, sir. I don't know why he continues his recruiting attempts."

Darten laughed. "Have you looked in a mirror lately? He's a young man. I suspect his interest in you is more personal than professional."

I gritted my teeth as a blush heated my face. "I assure you sir, I am not encouraging him to…pursue me in either capacity."

His smile turned into a lopsided grin. "Maybe you should."

I went slack jawed by that comment. "Sir, I hope you are not suggesting…"

" _Wait_ , wait, wait," he said with a wave of his hand. "I am not suggesting you bed the man, if that's what you were thinking. Stang, all I need is a sexual harassment complaint this close to retirement." He forced out a breath and composed himself. "What I am suggesting is you talk the man up. Find out as much as you can about the New Republic. Peace treaties are known to falter. Know your enemy _and_ your allies because the two can switch readily." He pointed a finger at me. "But there's another reason I want you to cultivate a friendship with Skywalker. The man has close ties to General Han Solo—who's a former smuggler. If anybody can get a cargo run into the area it would be him. See if Skywalker is working with some of Solo's smuggler friends. He might have a plan to infiltrate and investigate these shipments. If so, I want you in that loop, if possible."

I inwardly groaned and closed my eyes so my commander didn't see me roll them. "You want me to become friendly with Skywalker."

"Professionally friendly. You can determine the depth of that camaraderie."

I heaved a sigh. "He'll immediately suspect my change of heart. He's not a fool. He'll know I want to get close in order to spy on him."

Darten threw up his hands in a _'who cares'_ gesture. "Do you think that'll dissuade him? Is he going to push you away, knowing your true intent?"

I grimaced. I doubt anything short of shoving a blaster against Skywalker's head and threatening to kill him would diminish his interest in me. I am probably the first Force-user he has encountered since the death of his master. He desperately wants somebody to help him in his foolish journey to Jedi-hood. "No, his interest in me was undeterred by the fact that I captured and turned him into the Empire. I could probably tell him I was ordered to spy on him and he'd be delighted."

"Then do it. Find out everything you can. Your connection to the man will put you in a unique position. He is closely connected to just about every high-ranking rebel leader. If he begins to trust you, the rebel leadership might lower their guard. As long as you keep our secrets safe, it is an excellent position to be in."

"I don't want to be in any position with Skywalker," I muttered under my breath. I guess I didn't grumble that softly enough because it provoked a fit of laughter from my commander.

"You'll be fine, Colay. We're at peace and Skywalker doesn't appear to hold any animosity toward you. Use him to further your mission. Let me know if you discover anything."

"Yes, Sir." When my commander disconnected the signal I suppressed the urge to throw the transceiver against the wall.

I didn't want to chat up Skywalker and become his fake friend.

And I definitely don't want to be around another Force-user, especially one that is untrained, impulsive and possesses an incredibly strong connection to the Force. Those three things are never a good combination unless you want a visit from the darkside.

The last thing the galaxy needs is another Darth Vader.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Entry 19**_

I didn't leave my room right away. Skywalker remained most likely in his hotel room and there was no way in the Nine Corellian Hells that I was going to trot over and knock on his door. I tried to convince myself that it would appear too suspicious, but I knew I was simply stalling and hoping he would blast off planet giving me an excuse not to interact with him again.

There was something about Skywalker that made me uneasy.

I didn't feel threatened by the man, but there was an oddly familiar sensation in the Force radiating from him. This sense of familiarity was strange. I know I haven't personally met Skywalker before his capture on Hodk II, but from the first time I laid eyes on him I've had this bizarre feeling that we have met before. I shook my head tearing myself from my musings. I probably was on the same battlefield as Skywalker at some point. That must be it.

I blew out a frustrated breath and readied myself to follow my orders, rolling my eyes at my unwillingness. Commander Darten was only asking me to talk to Skywalker, not marry him. I have no idea why I was so reluctant.

I exited my hotel room and made my way down the street.

* * *

 _ **Entry 20**_

I waited in the alley across the road from Skywalker's hotel with the intention of following the rebel when he exited the establishment. I knew he was still there. The lightside of the Force practically oozed from the building. I don't know how Emperor Palpatine failed to notice this threat. My old Master could reach out across the galaxy and communicate with me. He must have sensed Skywalker. Why didn't he send an Inquisitor or Darth Vader to deal with the rebel? I sighed knowing the answer to that question died with the Emperor.

I saw movement through Skywalker's window and eventually he exited his room. I pulled back into the shadows waiting for him to leave, but instead he looked straight in my direction, smiled and waved.

 _Gods, I hate that man!_

I thought I had shielded myself adequately in the Force, but obviously I didn't. I walked out of the alley, knowing there was no use in continuing to hide. As I crossed the street the pleased expression on Skywalker's face annoyed me to no end and made me want to stun him just to see that smile disappear.

"Litassa, it is nice to see you again. Did you change your mind about training with me?"

I gave him a cold glare. "Sure, let's go back to your room and talk."

His self-satisfied smile dropped from his face as he looked at his wrist-chrono. "Now?" He glanced down the street toward the pub he was at earlier. "I'm a little busy. I'm supposed to meet someone."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. I don't want to interfere with your love life." I knew he was probably going to meet rebels, smugglers or some other contact, but if I came right out and asked him who I doubt he would have answered. I wagered putting shy-boy on the defensive would garner me some answers. I wasn't disappointed when he blushed.

"No, I'm not meeting a woman…ah…at least I don't think it is a woman…it may be a woman, but I'm not meeting a date. I'm not dating anybody."

I suppressed a smile. I think Commander Darten is correct when he inferred that Skywalker's interest in me was more than professional. "Ah," I said knowingly. "Rebel business. I can understand you not wanting to have an Imperial tag along. After all, we've only been allies for less than a day."

His brow furrowed and I could see he was torn as to what to do. "Can I meet you sometime later?"

I shook my head. "I came here to find out where those shipments are going. Since I didn't have any luck, I am going back to my headquarters and await further orders." I started to back away from the rebel, but he stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of my tunic.

"Wait. What if we make a deal? I'm meeting somebody that might have information on the shipments to the unknown regions. Let me talk to my contact and then I'll let you know what I found out."

His bright blue eyes looked at me hopefully, almost pleading.

"Sure," I said. "When do you want to meet?"

He smiled widely. "How about my room in an hour." He hesitated for a second. "Unless you want to meet somewhere more public. I can understand you not wanting to meet in such an…um…private location."

I knew he was going to say _'intimate location_ ', but his farm boy upbringing prevented him from even suggesting such a thing. I grinned at his shyness. "Private is fine," I said slowly. "It's not like I haven't been in your bed before."

A blush rose from his neck to the crown of his head. "Litassa, you like teasing me don't you."

This time I was the one who broke out in a wide smile. "I enjoy seeing your calm demeanor falter every once in a while."

"Yeah, well. You don't know me very well. My Master used to admonish me for my lack of control."

I chuckled under my breath. "If you have trouble controlling yourself…then maybe we shouldn't meet in your hotel room."

He became even more flustered. "That is not what I meant. I lacked control in the Force." He shook his head in frustration. "You are doing it again."

I smirked at his discomfort. "Go meet your contact. I'll see you in an hour."

He nodded his head before jogging down the street.

I walked back to my hotel. An hour gave me time to shower and change and prepare myself for our next encounter.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Entry 21**_

As I prepared to leave my hotel room I glanced in the mirror for one final inspection of my attire. I want to keep Skywalker off balance, so I decide to use his obvious personal interest in me to my advantage. I had cast off my common trousers and tunic I had worn to blend in with the local commoners and instead donned at sleek, form-fitting, black leather, zip up body suit over knee-high black leather boots. It was an outfit I wore when I was the Emperor's Hand. It was practical, durable and turned more than a few male heads when walking in public. It also gave me an aura of power. Assassins, pirates and bounty hunters normally wore leather. It had become the apparel of dangerous people…especially Darth Vader—a leather-clad psychopath who instilled fear in all he met.

In this case, I wore it to distract Skywalker, not to intimidate and especially not to seduce. I wanted him to be preoccupied with thoughts other than my motives in reestablishing contact with him.

I smiled at the mirror as I readjusted my blaster belt. Usually I have a hidden holdout blaster, but with this outfit there really isn't any place to hide a weapon. I picked up a small satchel containing my communication device, credits and a fake Identification, threw it over my shoulder and left the room, making my way down to Skywalker's hotel.

It was a short walk to Skywalker's location. I knocked on his hotel door and waited and waited and waited. I didn't know what was taking so long. I knew he was inside the room. I could feel his presence through the Force. I ended up pounding on the door before Skywalker finally answered. When I saw him I understood the delay. He was standing in the doorway, dripping wet while clutching a small white towel around his waist.

"Sorry Litassa. I thought I had enough time to shower before you arrived." His tanned skin turned a deep red as he ushered me inside. "I'll just take me a minute to dress." He quickly moved to his bed and grabbed some clothing before disappearing into the 'fresher.

I sighed in frustration before closing the door behind me. I intended on showing up and flustering the former farmer with my tantalizing outfit, but he one-upped me by opening the door nearly nude, water glistening over his toned body and with the smell of citrus scented body wash clinging to his skin.

 _'Damn, I hate that man!'_

I have no idea if his naiveté charm was a facade or not. It is hard for me to believe that somebody as outwardly trusting as Skywalker could have survived this long without somebody putting a vibroblade in his back at some point. He exited the 'fresher wearing snug utility trousers but remained nude from the waist up. He looked at me apologetically as he pointed to clothing perched on the room's dresser. "Sorry, I forgot my tunic."

As my gaze raked down his pectorals and abs I seethed with irritation. "Really?" I scoffed incredulously. "Can you be more obvious?"

He must be a great actor because the look of confusion on his face seemed genuine. "What? What are you talking about?"

I pointed to his half-dressed state. "You come to the door wearing only a towel knowing full well that it was me standing on the other side and then you conveniently forget your tunic so I can get a second gander at your toned abs. You are doing this to put me off balance. It is straight from the espionage playbook."

He looked me up and down and smirked. "Is that your reason for the skintight leather outfit?"

 _'I am really starting to despise this man.'_

I turned around giving him some privacy while shaking my head in annoyance. "Just get dressed."

I could hear movement of fabric and a soft chuckle. "Sorry." There was a slight pause before I was given the all clear. "Okay, all done."

I turned to find him admiring my clothing. "I like your outfit. It's…ummm."

I could see him struggling to find complimenting words that wouldn't offend or come off as sexist.

"I'm not sure how to describe it," he finally said.

I looked down and spread my arms to the side, giving him a clear view. "I had a male coworker once tell me it looked Vader-esque. Is that what you were thinking?"

He laughed out loud. "Believe me, the last person that pops into my mind when looking at you is my father."

 _'Father!'_ My face went slack in shock. He blanched, obviously sensing my surprise through the Force. "You didn't know?" he whispered. "The Emperor knew. I thought Imperial Intelligence also knew."

It took me a moment to regain my voice. "They may, but I didn't. I am only privy to information on a need-to-know basis. I obviously didn't need to know about that." I looked over to the small table where we ate our meal earlier that day. I pulled out a chair and sat down heavily taking some time to process this information. Everything was starting to make sense. He was hidden on Tatooine. That meant somebody knew he would be strong in the Force and would gain the attention of the Emperor. I looked over to him. He was sitting on his bed, a guarded expression on his face. I could tell he was concerned about my reaction to the news. "Did your father hide you on Tatooine to keep you from the Emperor?"

He shook his head sadly. "No, I was brought there by a Jedi Knight named Ben Kenobi. He gave me to family members. Vader grew up on Tatooine. He supposedly hated the planet and vowed never to return. I assume my old master thought the desert planet would be the best place to hide me."

"So," I muttered while desperately trying to put the pieces together. "The Jedi kidnapped you from your father?"

"No…I wouldn't call it kidnapping. My Master Yoda told me Vader believed my mother died before she gave birth. Darth Vader not only didn't know that I lived, but that my mother was carrying twins. My father didn't learn about me and my sister until after the destruction of the first Death Star."

"And your sister? Who's your sister?"

His eyes went wide, his mouth opening and then closing. "We thought the Imperials knew…but if they don't, maybe it is best it remains that way."

I thought back to the things he said about his sister. She was raised on Alderaan, she just gave birth to a baby boy she named Ben. My brow shot up as I remembered a holonet news show I watched a few weeks ago. "Princess Leia? Your sister is Princess Leia, Han Solo is your brother-in-law…and Darth Vader is your father!"

He put a hand up in a shushing gesture. "Not so loud. We figured the Imperials may have known, but we definitely don't want the general public to know of our heritage."

I leaned back in my chair and guffawed. "I can understand that. Two of the key members of the New Republic are the children of the third most hated Imperial in the Galaxy after the Emperor and Grand Moff Tarkin."

He blew out a breath. "Litassa, I'm not like my father. You have to believe that."

I let out a short laugh and shook my head. "I know that. I have dealt with your father more than once. You are the polar opposite of the man." I stopped, now realizing what that eerie familiarity in the Force came from. "When I met you I thought you felt familiar in the Force. Now I know why. If you stripped away Vader's malignant darkside stench, his Force signature would resemble yours."

He rubbed his hand over his chin while staring at the room's stained carpet. "He once was a good man. A Jedi Knight." He glanced up at me. "I guess this lowers my chance of convincing you to train with me. When you came earlier you said you changed your mine…or was that just a ruse to get some information out of me?"

I gave an apologetic shrug of my shoulder. "It was a ruse. I wanted to see if you found smugglers to bring you on a trade run to the Unknown Region. If so, I wanted to tag along."

He fell silent for a long moment. "Can I assume any interaction with me is strictly business and that you are still in spy-mode?"

I nodded. "I'm always in spy-mode. What I am not in is kill or capture mode. The peace treaty brought an end to that." I gave roll of my eyes. "You make it sound like I'm doing something unseemly. I can guarantee if I breached Imperial security protocol and spilled some information vital to the rebel cause you wouldn't hesitate to pass on that information."

He pursed his lips in thought before giving me a soft smile. "You're right."

"So," I said slowly. "Do you have a way to get into the Unknown Region? Is that why you met your contact?"

He nodded slowly. "I have a way in. I'm willing to share with you any information I discover."

I shook my head emphatically. "No, I should go with you."

"You can't. I don't know the smugglers doing the run. Han made arrangements for me…just me. He's no fan of Imperials…and you can imagine, my sister is not too fond of the Empire either. There is no way they would help arrange passage for you."

I leaned forward in my chair. "Then don't tell them who I am. I have alias documentation. Tell them I am another rebel."

"My sister would know you aren't a rebel. She keeps track of those things."

"Tell them I'm a new recruit."

He shook his head. "They still wouldn't feel comfortable. Besides, I don't want to lie to them." He glanced up suddenly as if an idea just took hold. "I did tell them about you and your Force abilities….off the record of course. They know I am trying to get you to train with me. They may overlook your Imperial ties if they knew we have an arrangement to train together."

I made a sound of disgust. "Please stop trying to nag me into training. The Force corrupts. It gives people too much power. You of all people should know the danger of the darkside. Your father, who I assume was trained from birth, slipped into the darkness. You have only…what…a year or two of formal training under your belt. You are a prime candidate for Sithhood. You are messing with something very powerful."

He looked at me pleadingly. "That's why I need you. You've been trained and you haven't turned to the darkside. If I am an accident waiting to happen, then help me. Help me learn to control my power. Help me make the galaxy a better place. Help me keep the peace between our governments."

I didn't want to say yes. I really didn't, but I know this is exactly what my commander would want. He'd want me to start working with Skywalker, earn the trust of the New Republic officials and learn everything and everything about their military just in case the treaty failed.

"I'll train with you, but we have to keep it secret. The Moffs' goal is to eradicate all Force users from the Empire. If it becomes known that I have Force abilities it would endanger my life."

He grinned happily. "Sure, anything. We'll use one of your aliases when on this mission. Maybe we can make up some excuse to spend time together alone to train…like we're dating or something."

I groaned. "No."

"What other reason we could give for sneaking off to a private location and spending time together?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "Maybe we can say I am your psychiatrist and we need time alone for your therapy sessions. You must be suffering from some psychological disorder, maybe Combat Stress Syndrome or some phobia…perhaps rancorphobia."

He gave a snort. "So when it comes to a cover story you want to say I have a psychological disorder instead that we're in a relationship."

"That's sounds good to me." I smirked. "Listen, we don't have to explain anything to anybody. The first rule of undercover work is don't give more information than needed. Let people assume what they want and leave it at that."

He looked over to his comlink sitting on his dresser. "If I do this, you have to promise me you won't tell your superiors anything about me, my family or any rebel intelligence you happen upon. You'll only report on what we discover in the unknown region."

I thought about that for a while. "My people probably already know about your family history."

"Just in case they don't. We always assumed they did, but if they don't, I would like to keep it that way. I want to keep my nephew safe. There's that new cult of Vader that has been growing in numbers and lunacy. They worship my late father like some dark prophet. They don't believe he's dead or if he is he'll return in some other form. All I need is those lunatics getting the idea to kidnap Darth Vader's grandson."

I nodded knowing full well what he was talking about. After the death of the Emperor and Darth Vader a group of Sith wannabe's started appearing all over the galaxy. Most didn't have a milligram of Force ability, but they prayed to the Darkside asking for riches, revenge or anything else that popped into their deranged minds. They were rumored to pay huge prices for what they consider religious relics…meaning anything related to the Sith. It was reported that somebody found Vader's melted armor and helmet on Endor, which was ridiculous. Vader was vaporized when the second Death Star exploded. There was no way his suit survived the blast and then the descent through the planet's atmosphere. "I promise to keep your family affairs out of my report to my superiors. As for not reporting rebel activities…as long as I won't endanger the Empire by doing so I can agree to that."

"Okay. We're in agreement." He stood and grabbed his comlink that I assume is slaved to his ship's transceiver. "I'll talk to Han."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Entry 22**_

Skywalker went into the 'fresher with his comlink saying he wanted a private conversation with his brother-in-law. Obviously he didn't realize seedy, inexpensive hotels don't invest credits in insulating and soundproofing their rooms because I could hear every word of the Jedi's side of the conversation. I wish I could have made out what Solo was saying because, by Skywalker's reaction, the former smuggler was teasing his friend unmercifully.

The conversation as I heard it, sounded like this:

"Han, Luke here. I need to ask you a favor. Can you arrange for your smuggler contact to bring an extra person to the unknown region?"

There was a slight pause before Skywalker spoke again. "It's Litassa, the Imperial I called Leia about this afternoon asking if I should release her." –Pause—"No, she's no longer stun-cuffed in my bed." –Pause—"Han, don't be crude. The only reason I put her there is I know from experience that the carpeted floors in these cheap hotels reek."—Pause—"I'm going to tell Leia you said that."

I could hear the frustration in Skywalker's voice. I know I should be irritated that Solo was talking about me, but hearing the self-proclaimed Jedi all flustered was hilarious. "Han!" Skywalker raised his voice a bit. "No Han I haven't...we're not...please stop humming skinholo music."

There was a long pause followed by Skywalker's irate response. "If you're done laughing can we get on with business? Time's short. Can you arrange for her to accompany me? We don't need to let anybody know she's an Imperial." –Pause—"Because the Empire is also investigating these shipments."—Pause—"What does that matter?"—Pause—"No, I'm not answering that."—Pause—" Okay, if I tell you will you stop teasing me and actually help?" There was a slight pause before I heard the Jedi's whispered response. "Yes, she's beautiful. There, are you happy?"—Pause—"But that's not the reason. She's Force-strong and trained. Han, she may be the only person alive that has long-term formal Force training. I don't want to lose this opportunity."—Pause—"I think if she was planning to kill me she would have done it when we first met."—Pause—"Yes I trust her."—Pause—"You will? Great…what? No I am not planning to pump her for information. Han, just make the arrangements. I'll send you her alias info."

Skywalker stayed in the 'fresher for another minute; he was probably waiting for a blush to fade from his skin before exiting. When he did emerge he put on a nonchalant smile, pretending all was well. "Han said he'd make the arrangements."

I could barely contain my amusement. "Is that all he said?"

The Jedi looked down to the ground and shook his head. "Did you hear the conversation?"

I laughed. "Only your side of it. Does Solo think you are so hard up that you need to stun-cuff women to your bed to get a date."

Skywalker groaned as he plopped down on the edge of his bed. "Han is…well, Han is Han." He looked up at me and smirked. "I'd hate to see all three of us in a room together. I can imagine you two taking turns harassing me."

I was about to make a flippant response but then caught myself. I was letting my guard down and becoming chummy with this rebel. I needed to stay on top of my game. "Thanks for bringing me along." I picked up my satchel and rummaged through it until I found an acceptable fake identification. I tossed it over to Skywalker. "This is the counterfeit freighter's license I have been using while here. You can give that name and ID number to Solo."

He looked over my identification. "Your alias is Senni Kiffu." He looked up to me. "Is there any significance to that name?"

I shook my head. "None. I realize the smuggler's know who you are, but what name are you going to be flying under on the flight manifest?"

He reached over to his jacket lying on his bed and pulled out an identification, which he tossed to me. I looked it over and grimaced. "You name is Luke Dunerider?" I passed it back. "I'm sure nobody would suspect Luke Dunerider could possibly be Luke Skywalker from the desert world of Tatooine."

He gave an apologetic shrug of his shoulder. "That's all I got." He slipped the ID in his side trouser pocket as he stood. "We leave in an hour—docking bay fifty-two."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Entry 23**_

I arrived to the docking bay after Skywalker who I spied across the bay dressed casual with a small duffle bag slung over his shoulder. On his hip he had a common blaster—no lightsaber. I wondered if he carried the Jedi weapon on these missions. He saw me and gave a quick smile and wave. I walked over while watching the pilots, mechanics, traders, security personnel and passengers coming and going from the port. This wasn't the most covert place to meet, but that might be done on purpose. Often security personnel become lax during midday in very public venues, assuming any illegal operations will occur in isolated, dimly lit locations.

"You pack light," he said while looking at my small satchel and a medium sized travel bag.

I looked down at my gear. "I have the essentials. I don't need luggage slowing me down." I glanced down at the line of ships. "Which one belongs to your contact?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was told they would contact me once they know we haven't been followed. I guess we wait."

After a few minutes three men approached our position. They were light-skinned humans in their mid-to-late thirties. One was blond-haired and blue eyed like Skywalker, the other two had dark hair and light colored eyes. I could tell immediately which one was their captain. He was the black haired man with neatly trimmed facial hair, a rakish smile and the swagger of a leader. I caught myself admiring the man's weapon, a sleek-looking, modified Westar-34 blaster pistol strapped snugly to his hips…that is until I felt a flash of annoyance (or maybe it was jealousy) through the Force. I turned to Skywalker who immediately averted his eye.

' _Farmboy is getting a little possessive,_ ' I thought with a smirk.

"Hello, I'm Hal Kort, Captain of the cargo ship _Habcamber_." the handsome smuggler introduced himself to Skywalker with outstretched palm. As he shook the Jedi's hand I noticed the rehearsed way he had said his name. I am sure it is an alias…but that wouldn't be surprising.

He motioned toward his dark haired associate. "And this is my Chief-of-Operations, Hoku". He then gestured to his blond crewman. "And this is Adar. He's my pilot and communications officer." He turned back to Luke and smirked. "You I know by reputation and the thousands of Imperial _Wanted-Dead-of-Alive_ posters littering every spaceport in the galaxy, but you…" He turned to face me. "You I don't know, and usually I would balk at taking on a stranger, but Solo explained the situation." He looked back-and-forth between Skywalker and me. "Congratulations on your engagement. I only wish I had better sleeping arrangements than a cramped crew cabin for you two to share. It has bunk beds, but you two are slim; you may be able to squeeze into one bunk." He smiled widely and gave Skywalker a wink.

The Jedi's face reddened and he opened his mouth…probably to clarify the situation…when I interrupted. "Thank you Captain Kort. My fiancé and I greatly appreciate your hospitality."

Skywalker looked at me in surprise, but thankfully kept his mouth shut. Obviously Solo really had to sell the man on taking on another passenger…or he wanted to embarrass his brother-in-law. Either way, I didn't want to answer questions as to my real identity. I offered him my hand in greeting. "I'm Senni Kiffu."

"Sure you are," he chuckled as he shook my hand. He threw a thumb in Skywalker's direction. "Let's get you and Luke Dunerider to my ship before somebody spots him." He turned and signaled for his silent crewmembers to follow. He pointed down the docking bay to a large rust colored ship. "That's my modified Corellian Action VI Transport ship," he said proudly. "It can hold over ninety-thousand metric tons."

I fell in step next to the man. "By modified, do you mean weapons?"

He grinned. "Turboblasters, holonet transceiver, hypercomm array, and warship-grade shielding and sensors." He pulled a device out of his pocket and remotely lowered his ships boarding ramp. Skywalker and I followed him up the ramp and into his expansive ship. "It has a class three hyperdrive, but it underwent some after-market modifications so it flies more like a Class 1."

"Han claims the Millennium Falcon has a rating of zero-point-five," Luke said quietly, speaking to the Captain for the first time.

The man stopped and turned to Skywalker before giving an amused snort. "Solo also claimed he did the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. His ship is fast, but not fast enough to outrun the pull of a blackhole. The minimum safe approach is fourteen parsecs. So unless the law of physics don't apply to Solo's ship…he's exaggerating."

Skywalker shrugged. "I don't want to argue. I wasn't there, but he swears it's true."

The other two-crew members chuckled before disappearing in the direction of the flight deck.

Captain Kort shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know how close you are to Solo, but I can tell you he has reputation for being a braggart."

Skywalker smiled. "That may be true. How long have you've known Han?"

"Never met the man," Kort admitted. "We only know each other by reputation."

I almost laughed when the Jedi's jaw dropped. "What? Han said he trusts you explicitly."

The smuggler captain tried to suppress a grin. "I really doubt he said that."

"No, really," Skywalker insisted. "He said you are trustworthy."

Kort gave a toothy grin. "Oh he may trust me, I just doubt he used the word _'explicitly'_."

Skywalker laughed. "No, he said you were the only slaghauler he's ever known that never stole a shipment, welshed on a bet or backstabbed a partner. He assured me that you and your crew wouldn't kill me in my sleep and sell my body parts to the _Church of the Force_ as religious relics."

The older man laughed hardily. "Such high praise from Solo."

"I just don't understand why he picked you and not one of his other dozen smuggler buddies." Skywalker paused, waiting for an answer.

Kort ran a hand over his facial hair contemplating an answer. "Whoever is out there in the unknown region, they don't contact New Republic traders or haulers working with the Empire. They also avoid any smuggler who has ever had any connection with Solo and the Rebellion. I've avoided working with the Empire or the New Republic. I stayed mainly in the mid-rim and expansion region and dealt with neutral planets. I could have played both sides, selling to the Empire and Rebels, but often the victor remembers you supplied weapons to the enemy. I think my lack of contact with the Empire and New Republic and having no known ties to Solo is the reason I was contacted." He turned and moved down the corridor until he was in front of a cabin door. "Here's your cabin Luke Dunerider and his beautiful companion, Senni Kiffu. There is a metal carrying case in there provided by Solo, he said you would know the code to open it." He took a step back. "If you excuse me, I have to help prep the ship for lift off."

As he disappeared down the hall Skywalker turned to me. "He seems friendly."

"Yes, maybe too friendly," I said cautiously. I opened the cabin door and then stepped away. It had the lingering smell of cigaras and aftershave. "I think they were going to have you bunk with one of the crewmembers before I showed up." I stepped in scrutinizing my surroundings. It looked like the previous occupant grabbed all of his belongings and moved out hastily, leaving random bits of trash and cigara ash littering the floor. The cabin had a sink, storage cabinet and next to the room's bunk beds was a silver alloy hard-shell trolley suitcase. "What did Solo send you?"

Skywalker shrugged. "Something to hide my identity…hair dye, clothing and maybe a false prosthetic eye." He hesitated before changing the subject. "I'm sorry that Han said we were engaged. I hate that you are put in this uncomfortable situation."

"He did what he had to do," I muttered while starring at the case. I would think the Jedi would have used its contents to avoid discussing his brother-in-law's ruse to get me on board and our current living arrangement. Instead he is trying to convince me a heavy metal case—the type used to transport sensitive equipment—contains hair dye and clothing. I sense deceit.

 _'How very un-farmboy of him.'_

"You're lying about what's in the case… or am I reading you wrong?"

He blew out a breath before sitting on the bottom bunk. "There is a disguise, but there is also come surveillance equipment...prototypes. New technology."

"We _are_ at peace," I pointed out.

He grimaced. "For how long?"

I scoffed. "All this talk about trusting me and wanting me to train with you…"

"I do," he protested. "It's just. I don't know if showing you is a decision I am allowed to make on my own."

I tossed my satchel on the top bunk, claiming it as my own. "You're a Jedi. You should be able to sense my intentions."

He shook his head. "I sometimes have difficulty sensing you in the Force. It's like your Force signature is muted." He gazed at me questioningly. "Do you know how to hide yourself in the Force?"

I looked at him dumbfounded. "What did your Master teach you? Obviously not Force concealment. That explains why I can probably sense you halfway across the planet. You are like a Force beacon."

"Can you teach me?"

I thought about it for a while. Skywalker was right; our peace treaty might end badly. In that case, would I be teaching him a skill that might put the Empire or me in danger?

"You don't trust me?" he asked when I didn't answer.

I made a face. "I trust you just as much as you trust me."

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I understand."

"But I will teach you," I continued. "If there are any Force-users in the unknown region, your cover is blown, and that means I'm also in danger. I need to get you up to speed before we get to our destination."

A wide, enthusiastic smile blossomed across his face. "Thanks, Litassa."

"Senni. It's Senni. Don't call me by the wrong name on this mission. You might get me killed." I closed my eyes and shook my head; his novice skills in espionage could mean disaster. We had a lot of work to do.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Entry 24**_

"I can still sense you in the Force," I whispered to Skywalker for the tenth time in the last hour. We were both sitting on the cabin deck, cross-legged, facing each other as he practiced Force concealment. His blue eyes were closed and his face was a mask of concentration, but he couldn't fully hide the vast amount of Force energy emanating and swirling around him.

He blew out a frustrated breath before opening his eyes and rubbing a hand down his face. "I don't know why my Master didn't teach me this technique. It's an extremely useful skill."

"You know it's useful now….but when your Masters were in training they probably thought the Sith were extinct. Believing they had no Force-strong enemies, perhaps they saw no need to conceal their Force presence."

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"Palpatine was a different story," I continued. "He worked closely with the Jedi Order for years, first as a senator and later as Chancellor. To fool the Jedi he had to perfect not only Force Concealment but mask his affiliation. After all, he couldn't walk around the Jedi as a total Force void. He had to let the Jedi sense him in the Force, albeit faintly, but what they did sense had to be perceived as benign. These skills were taught to the Inquisitorius. They were the people tasked to hunt down and kill any surviving Jedi."

He looked me in the eye. "Is that what you were trained to do? Kill Jedi?"

I shook my head. "The Jedi were believed dead by the time I was fully trained. My job was…" I hesitated for a second trying to come up with a story that was close to the truth without revealing my true role. "I was basically a Force-strong loyalty officer. I tracked down and dealt with traitors within the Empire. I never killed rebels during the uprising."

He nodded. "That's good to know." He paused before asking the next question. "So you know how to hide your true nature when it comes to the Force…meaning you could be a Sith Lord and I would never know it."

"Sure," I said with a chuckle. "But how many Sith Lords are willing to start over in the Empire as a lowly private just to survive."

He gazed at me intensely. "It could all be a ruse. You make contact with me, gain my trust, try to infiltrate the New Republic and then destroy us."

I thought about it. He was partially correct. I am trying to gain his trust, but as long as the treaty held I wouldn't move against him. "I have no desire to breach the treaty and neither do my superiors."

A smile tugged at his lips. "But you don't deny trying to gain my trust."

"I am with Imperial Intelligence. I never hid that fact." I gave a short laugh. "But don't worry, I'm not going to attempt to torture information out of you."

"Oh," he said sounding disappointed. "With that tight body suit you're wearing I thought you planned on seducing me."

"Dream on Dunerider."

"I see _you_ don't strictly adhere to the espionage playbook you mentioned earlier," he said jokingly as he stood and offered me his hand to help me to my feet. "Since we are in hyperspace lets see if Captain Kort will let us see what he is transporting."

I took his hand and allowed him to assist me off the deck. We exited the cabin and wandered down the long corridor leading to the front of the ship. As we entered the galley we found Captain Kort leaning against the bulkhead sipping what smelled like Corellian brandy. A wide smirk crossed his face upon seeing us. "The young soon-to-be newlyweds have finally emerged from their cabin. I hope everything was comfortable."

"Yes, thank you," Skywalker managed to mutter without blushing.

Kort pulled out two glassed from a galley cabinet. "Would you two like a drink?"

"No, I think I have had enough to drink for one day." I looked in the direction of the ship's flight deck. "Can you tell us where we're going?"

His eyebrows drew together in irritation. "The coordinates lead us to nowhere. So either a ship big enough to dock my freighter will be at the location when we exit hyperspace or we'll be given alternate coordinates for a second jump at that time."

Skywalker looked around nervously. "This is a huge freighter. A ship would have to be as big as a Battlecruiser to dock this thing."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'd much rather touchdown on a planet or space station docking bay. Getting pulled into a military ship makes me feel…vulnerable."

"Well, there is nothing we can do about that now," Skywalker murmured. "Can we get a peek at the cargo?"

Kort finished his drink before answering. "No can do. They were sealed at the port…if I break the seal my reputation would be ruined."

Skywalker's lips drew into a flat line of disapproval. "You mean you don't know what is on your ship? You could be supplying weapons to warlords."

Kort stepped down the corridor motioning for us to follow. "I may not know the contents of the cargo containers, but I can give you an educated guess and I don't think it's weapons."

"And how would you know that?" Skywalker asked.

Kort turned to face us while continuing to walk backwards towards the cargo bay. "Because when I was a teenager, near the end of the Clone War, I interned as a loadmaster to a legitimate trader. I would weigh and measure cargo containers so I could guarantee I had an evenly distributed load secured on speeder trucks or air shuttles. You don't want things shifting in the cargo bay and causing a crash."

The Jedi shook his head. "How does that help you determine what is in your cargo bay now."

The smuggler smiled. "There are cargo manifests for legal trade. Back then I knew what was in the containers and I became intimately familiar as to what certain items weighed and how they were transported." He stopped in front of the cargo bay entrance and opened the door. "My best guess is we are transporting hyperdrive propulsion systems or possibly thermal oscillators." He led us into the bay where massive metal crates were carefully stacked and tied down with straps and netting.

"You like to secure things the old school way," I commented wondering why he didn't use cargo stabilizers—a combination of tractor and repulsor technology to hold the payload steady.

"Repulsor immobilization systems can fail." Kort tugged at the netting. "This is durasteel cable netting. It is resistant to vibroblades and small blaster fire. I do have a modified tanglefoot field generator that can kick in and hold everything in place if the electronic tie down sensors indicate a break or slippage." He looked over to Skywalker. "It also takes much longer to unload cargo secured in this manner. I thought you could use the extra time to spy on whoever this shipment is going to."

I had to grin. I was starting to like this smuggler. The man was smart and displayed forethought. The only thing I couldn't understand was why he was risking his life and business to help the rebels. He had been playing it safe for decades, why change now? I decided the easiest way to find out was to ask.

"Captain Kort, I want to thank you for taking us on this mission, but I was wondering why are you taking the risk?"

The smuggler walked to the exit. "Because the rebels are certain the Empire is building another Death Star." His expression darkened. "The Imperials destroyed an entire planet…a billion people in one shot. I'm not going to let it happen again. I'm going to be part of the solution this time." He turned and walked out of the cargo bay.

I glanced over to Skywalker. "If the rebels think it is the Empire…why am I here?" I was starting to worry. If it turns out the Empire is actually involved…what then? This entire treaty could be subterfuge…a way to get the New Republic to lower its guard. It might be so secret even Imperial Intelligence doesn't know the plan.

The Jedi shook his head. "We don't know who is building something big. Everybody assumes it is the Empire…but the fact you are investigating the same thing tells me it's somebody else."

I almost rolled my eyes. Skywalker is far too trusting.

I looked over the cargo containers. "It doesn't look like weapon crates. It may actually be ship components."

He sighed. "Ships to do what?"

"I guess we'll find out when we get to our destination."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Entry 25**_

We ate with the crew last night. Adar and Hoku didn't speak much, but kept a watchful eye on Skywalker and me…although I believe seventy percent of the time they were staring at my bosom. It is a bit irritating to have middle-aged men slowly chewing their nerf steak while gazing at parts of my anatomy. Twice I noticed Kort gave his men a warning glare. Hoku did try to engage me in conversation, but his thick rimworld accent was hard to decipher.

"Where are you from Hoku?" I eventually asked. "I don't recognize your accent?"

His eyes darted to his boss and then back to me nervously, obviously not wanting to reveal more about himself than needed. He eventually shrugged and answered. "Nowhere in particular. I mainly grew up on a ship."

"Same here," Adar added with an obvious Corellian accent.

I didn't even bother asking Kort. He had a hint of a Coruscanti accent that was muddied with rimworld slang. I suspect he grew up on the City world, left as a young man and spent most of his time in the outer rim.

"How about you, Senni?" Captain Kort asked. "Are you from Coruscant?"

I wasn't surprised that he guessed correctly. I hadn't bothered disguising my distinctive accent. "I grew up there, but I left after the fall of the Empire to travel."

He grinned slightly as he turned to Skywalker. "Tell me, how did you and your betrothed meet?"

The Jedi looked uncomfortable. "We met on Hodk II."

I almost groaned audibly. Hodk II is such a backwater cesspool that there was bound to be questions as to why we were there. I didn't have a chance to come up with a decent lie before the older man started to ask questions.

"I heard you were briefly captured on Hodk II by the Empire. Is that true?"

' _Great,'_ I thought with a sigh. Obviously—while the Empire was trying to hide their blunder—the Rebels were spreading the news. I don't blame them. One man takes out an entire Imperial extraction team. It's great publicity for the New Republic, and it makes the Empire look like a bunch of bumbling incompetent morons.

 _'And you can thank yourself for that,'_ I admonished myself. If I didn't deactivate those Force shackles Skywalker would have been securely restrained and sent to an interrogation facility…at least until the treaty secured his release…if he was still alive that is. I looked over to the Jedi and felt a strange sense of relief. When I first captured him I didn't consider his fate, but after having time to think about it, I realized the Imperial Interrogators would have done unimaginably cruel and sadistic things to the Jedi. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy…and Skywalker wasn't my worst enemy.

"Yes, I was apprehended, but quickly escaped." He motioned towards me. "I had just met this beautiful woman that captured my…my everything. I couldn't bear to leave her, so I had to refuse the Empire's invitation to visit their interrogation cell for a long chat."

Kort chuckled while gazing at me over his glass. "I can't blame you Skywalker. You are engaged to an amazingly beautiful woman." He gave me a nod. "If you don't mind me saying." He smiled softly. "I wish you two the very best." He finished his drink and then stood. "If you excuse me. I need to get some sleep before our exit from hyperspace tomorrow." Without a word, his men stood with their captain and departed to the front of the ship.

I looked over to Skywalker who was grinning. "I think I handled that fairly well."

I blew out a harsh breath. "You told him I captured your… _everything_. Can you give him more hints about what actually happened?" I gulped down the remainder of my wine before grabbing my plate and moving them to the galley dishwasher. "You are terrible at subterfuge. You're lucky you have the Force because without it you would have been dead a thousand times over."

"I guess I am lucky to have you along to keep me out of trouble."

"Damn right," I moved aside and allowed him to load his dishes into the machine.

"When we get to our destination, try not to get me or yourself killed."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a flippant salute.

"Knock it off, or I'll shoot you out the airlock."

I moved down the corridor to our cabin with Skywalker following close behind.

"That would put a bit of a damper on the Honeymoon," he said cheekily.

I slapped the door entry panel. "Remind me to kill Solo when we get back."

He chuckled as we walked through the open door, but then he went silent. I could feel his discomfort at our intimate sleeping arrangements. I pulled my satchel off the top bunk and grabbed a sleeping shirt and shorts out of it. "There's no reason to make the situation awkward." I tossed my bag in the corner of the room as I moved to the cabin door. "In the past I have traveled and billeted with Stormtroopers. I'm used to living in close quarters with members of the opposite sex. So, if Solo set up this situation to make me feel uncomfortable, he missed the mark."

Skywalker grinned sheepishly. "No, he did it to embarrass me…and he didn't miss the mark."

"I'll dress in the 'fresher." I opened the cabin door and looked back to the Jedi before exiting. "I'll be back in ten."

I changed in the 'fresher and got ready for bed. When I returned Skywalker was already asleep.

That's good. Tomorrow might be a very long day.

* * *

 _ **Entry 26**_

Mid-morning was the scheduled time to exit hyperspace. Either there would be a ship at the location or alternate coordinates would be given at that time. That much we knew. According to Kort, the unknown region is not completely unknown. He had enough information in his private star charts to determine there wasn't a planet at our destination.

As the time to real space conversation neared, we all stood on the flight deck waiting anxiously. "Thirty seconds before reverting to real space," Adar said while looking over his flight controls.

"I want shields up and weapons ready when we exit," Kort muttered while chewing his lower lip.

"Five seconds," Adar announced before the stretched star lines transformed back to pinpoints of light. Everything went quiet as we gazed out the viewing port to empty space. There wasn't a ship, spaceport, asteroid or planet anywhere nearby.

"That's a bit anticlimactic," Kort said quietly. "I guess we wait for further instructions."

"Wait, what!" Hoku said from his station. "The Nav computer activated."

Kort rushed up behind the man's seat and looked over his shoulder. "Who activated it?"

Hoku threw his hands up in confusion. "I don't know. I didn't." He looked at Adar. "Did you do something?"

The blond man was frantically consulting his computer. "Somebody is remote accessing our controls."

"That's impossible," Kort exclaimed in disbelief. When the ship surged back into hyperspace his face went pale. "This is not supposed to happen this way."

"You said you never did this run before," I said pointedly. "How would you know this isn't supposed to happen?"

He looked back to me, his eyes wide. "Because my friend did this run a month ago. He said he was given coordinates, he dropped the cargo off at a remote and nearly deserted port, and then he was off. The only thing asked of him was to erase the coordinates from his Nav Computer, which he did."

"How do you know he was telling the truth?" Skywalker questioned.

Kort shook his head in frustration. "We worked together for over a decade. He is like a brother to me. He would have told me if this happened to him." He turned to his pilot. "Where are we going?"

Adar pulled up various screens on his computer. "The ship isn't giving up that information. I don't know how this is happening. Nobody can control a ship manually through hyperspace. There must be a burrower virus in the system. Perhaps it rode in on the back of the initial coordinates transmitted to us."

"I checked the information for malicious content before I downloaded it into the computer," Hoku fired back. "If there was a burrower it's a type we've never seen before…something undetectable."

Kort gritted his teeth. "This has to be the work of the Empire. Those sneaky bastards."

I couldn't verbally disagree with the man, not when he assumes I'm a rebel. To be honest, I have never heard of this type of technology. If they can remotely control a cargo ship could they do the same thing with an Imperial Battle Cruiser? I was starting to hope it was the Empire because I don't like the idea of anybody else having this type of technology.

Skywalker touched my elbow and motioned for me to follow him to the corridor. When we were out of earshot from the crew he threw at me the obvious questions. "Is this the work of the Empire?"

I shook my head. "If it is, I don't know how they're doing it. And why would my boss send me to investigate if the shipments are for the Empire?"

Skywalker looked at me suspiciously. "Maybe you are here to make sure I don't discover the truth."

I coughed suppressing a laugh. "If I wanted to do that I could have killed on Hodk II."

"Unless this is all part of your master plan."

I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. We needed to prepare for what awaited us at the end of this jump and not fight with each other. I reached out and grasped his shoulders with my hands, staring him in the eye. "Reach out with the Force. Can you sense any maliciousness on my part?"

He took a deep breath and concentrated before shaking his head. "No, but you have already told me you are trained to conceal."

I made a frustrated grunt and dropped my hands, but the Jedi quickly grasped them in his own and gazed at me intensely, reaching out with the Force. After spending nearly two decades under the tutelage of a Sith Lord who could pop into my head unexpectedly, I learned how to compartmentalize and hide away thoughts. I carefully hid any memories of my former life as Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, and let him see flashes of my alias' life…Litassa Coley Imperial Intelligence Officer. I must have convinced him because eventually he smiled softly and said, "I believe you."

"Okay." I waited for him to let go, but he continued to hold my hands awkwardly until I finally shook my arms free. "We don't have time for this." I returned to the flight deck where the three crewmembers were running through diagnostics while yelling numbers and slicing codes back and forth to each other.

"Kriff!" Adar screamed letting us know that he had come to an impasse. "I don't know how they did it and I don't know where we're going."

"Shavit!" Kort ran a hand through his black hair. "Keep running diagnostics and find that malicious programing. I may not be able to do anything now, but I don't want anybody to be able to take over my ship again. Find it!"

"Yes boss!" the two men said simultaneously.

He turned and looked at Skywalker. "I don't suppose you can use your Jedi skills to find out how this is being done?"

The Jedi shook his head. "Sorry Captain Kort. This is a mystery to me."

He reached up and massaged his temples. "Okay, there is nothing we can do about it now, but get ready. If you are going to wear a disguise, get it on Skywalker. If we pop out of hyperspace to a waiting Imperial Star Destroyer I'd rather not have the famous Luke Skywalker on board."

"I'll get on that."

"I'll help," I said as I followed Skywalker to our cabin. After all, I know how to circumvent Imperial facial recognition technology. I just don't know if I can successfully disguise the most recognizable Rebel in the galaxy.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Entry 27**_

"Hair dye?" I said incredulously. "Really? You think you can dye your hair and nobody will recognize your face?"

The Jedi looked down at the box of hair-coloring and frowned. He then gestured towards me. "What about you? What's your disguise?"

"I don't need a disguise. Intelligence recruits have their image scrubbed from all Imperial data banks. Any information about me is kept in a secure network that isn't electronically connected to anything outside of the agency. This way if we had to go undercover to root out a spy, he or she couldn't use our own face recognition technology against us."

"Oh," he said softly. "What do you suggest then?"

I put out my hand. "Let me see your Dunerider identification."

He pulled the ID out of his trouser pocket. I scrutinized the photo. It was slightly blurred…most likely on purpose. The identification said he was a blue haired, blue eyed, and light skinned male from the planet Bartoli. I looked up from the photo and frowned.

"You do know facial recognition is based on the distance between specific points of a person's face—the distance between the eyes, from the bridge of the nose to the chin, the width of the face, the shape of the cheekbones or the depth of the eye sockets. There are dozens and dozens of measurements that can help identify a person. The color of your hair isn't a factor."

I grabbed my carry-on satchel and pulled out a jar I carry for emergencies. I held it up to him for inspection. "This has cream that causes swelling of tissue. If you put it on your cheeks or the temples it will skew computer measurements."

He took the jar from me, unscrewed the top and gave it a sniff. He quickly held the jar out at arms length upon smelling the cream's repulsive odor. "I can't blend into a crowd smelling like this."

A smile crossed my lips. "The smell dissipates quickly. The swelling can last up to forty-eight hours." I reached into my bag and pulled out some protective gloves. "I'll help you put it on." I dabbed some cream on the fingertips of my gloves. "This may sting a little," I said as I spread it on his temple.

His eyes went wide. "Sting! It feels like my face is on fire."

He tried to push my hands away but a stern look gave him pause. "You're the mighty Jedi. Use some pain blocking technique. It will only hurt for a few minutes."

He grunted as his eyes watered from the cream's vapors. "My Master didn't teaching me how to block pain." He startled when I started working on the other side of his face. "I wish he did. It would have come in handy when the Emperor was frying me with Force lightning."

I lowered my hand and gawked at him in astonishment. "He attacked you and you lived?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, I died. I am an extremely fleshy Force ghost."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "It was a statement of astonishment, not a question." I looked him up and down. "I'm impressed. Maybe you have some potential…Jedi."

* * *

 _ **Entry 28**_

After dying his hair we returned to the flight deck. Hoku gave Skywalker a double take. "Oho! Did a pitter-beetle sting you? You're all swelled up."

Captain Kort turned to see what his crewman was referring to and laughed. "Wow, that looks painful."

Skywalker glared at me through swollen eyes. "Yes, it was painful, but I was told by my beautiful fiancée that the pain wouldn't last more than a few minutes, and she was right. What she failed to tell me was that once the pain subsided intense itching would ensue."

He reached up to scratch his face but I slapped his hand away. "Rubbing it won't help. You'll get the cream residue on your fingers and then the next thing you scratch will swell up."

Hoku smirked. "So don't scratch your…"

"Hoku!" Kort interrupted him. "I'm not sure what you were planning to say, but I am certain it wouldn't be appropriate in mixed company."

The chastised crewman turned back to the navigation computer. "Sorry boss."

Before Kort could reply the ship shuttered.

"Leaving hyperspace," Adar said from the pilot seat.

"Where are we?" Captain Kort asked.

The crewmembers scrutinized their readouts. "Unknown. None of the stars are on any of our maps. Sensors show a planet behind us." Adar turned the steering yoke of the ship rotating it until we could see a brown and green world below. The sun was to the rear of the planet plunging the side we were facing into darkness.

"Sensor's show a breathable atmosphere with a slightly higher than standard gravity." Adar turned to look at the Captain. "What now?"

Kort crossed his arms in front of his body. "Get us closer and then wait for docking instructions." He turned to Skywalker and me. "When we land and start offloading, do whatever you are going to do quickly. If you get caught say you were looking for a refueling speeder or searching for something to eat. Or better yet, don't get caught." He started to turn back to his men when he stopped and returned his attention back to us. "I know the temptation may be great, but I would advise that you two resist kissing each other." He gave a chuckle. "Swelling would truly mar Senni's captivating face."

I was about to shoot back some snide remark when I felt amusement emanating from Skywalker. I turned to see a wide grin on his face and a sly glint in his swollen eyes. "I don't know if I can resist," he said as he reached out to me. I was fairly certain his threat of skin-to-skin contact was in jest, but I wasn't taking a chance. I shoved him away from me…hard. "Don't even think about it Skywalker."

"Ouch!" Hoku muttered. "I bet she carries his lightsaber in her purse."

I was giving Hoku a deadly glare when a planetary communication interrupted our little discussion. "Freighter _Habcamber_ please transmit your security code and await landing instructions."

Adar leaned forward and talked into his transceiver microphone. "This is Freighter _Habcamber_ , transmitting security code."

There was a long pause before we got a response. "Affirmative. Proceed to the following transmitted coordinates. You will be contacted by the port master upon touchdown."

I took in a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. "Here we go."

"Come on," Skywalker whispered while motioning for me to follow him. "I think it is time to let you know what I have in the case."

I raised an eyebrow. I didn't think he made any subspace messages to his superiors since we've been on board. "I thought you said showing me the contents wasn't a call you are authorized to make."

He shrugged as we moved down the corridor. "If we are going to work together, we're going to have to trust each other." He stopped at our cabin door and turned to me. His blue eyes met mine, direct and probing. "I can trust you, can't I?"

I wanted to say _'Yes, of course, absolutely'_ , but for some reason I hesitated. Lying to him would be easy and I had enough experience with the Force to make him believe, but that didn't feel right. "Luke," I said softly. The name sounded almost foreign on my tongue and I suddenly realized this was the first time I have called him by his given name. "I am a loyal to my government, but I will do everything I can not to endanger you, your family, or the treaty with the New Republic. With that said, my loyalty is to the Empire."

I thought my words would disappoint him, but he broke out in a wide grin. "Now I fully trust you. You could have lied, but you didn't." He opened the door and stepped inside. I followed behind as he grabbed the metal suitcase and opened it. Inside was what looked like ship tracking devices.

"I thought about using those too," I said. "But anybody going to this much trouble to hide their activities has to scan their ship for trackers."

The Jedi lifted up the small disk. "These are passive ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time. They are activated by Cronau radiation emitted by a ship's hyperdrive. When a ship goes to hyperspace it sends out a signal."

I shook my head. "We can't track a signal from hyperspace."

He started filling his trouser cargo pockets with the trackers. "That's true, but Cronau radiation is emitted by the hyperspace engines for a second or two prior to entering lightspeed and for a second after it falls back to real space. The trackers will send out a signal during those short windows of opportunity and then they go silent again. Most ships aren't doing active scans in the seconds prior and after a jump. They should go unnoticed."

He tossed me a tracker. I examined it for a moment before slipping it into my jacket pocket. "Even if you have a transmission before and after…there isn't any holonet transceivers or signal boosters in the unknown region. How are you going to pick up the signal or know where it is coming from?"

"We have been sending out shuttles to the unknown region for months to spread probe droids. With enough out in space we should be able to triangulate a location. It's a long shot, but it is worth the risk."

I nodded. "So when we transfer cargo we slip a tracker onto the freighter accepting the shipment."

"That's the plan." He handed me a couple more tracking devices before closing the case. "Meanwhile we observe and try to determine who we are dealing with."

"That sounds simply enough."

Skywalker nodded slowly, not looking confident. "Hopefully everything will go off without a hitch…unfortunately that rarely happens with my plans."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Entry 29**_

We landed at an isolated but extremely active spaceport bustling with ships from all over the galaxy. Although there were various species manning the cargo freighters there was a noticeable lack of Hutts. This was surprising since Hutts own a huge percentage of the galaxy's smuggling operations. Although they usually hire outside of their species to do their smuggling they often send at least one Hutt boss to oversee large cargo runs.

The entire crew of the _Habcamber_ was on the flight deck. Adar and Hoku were going through their landing checklist while Captain Kort grumbled under his breath that if he didn't have a passenger with a million credit bounty on his head he would strangle the people responsible for electronically commandeering his ship.

"With the peace treaty signed, the Empire no longer has a bounty on his head, do they?" I asked the Captain.

The older man chuckled. "It was officially retracted, but some criminal organizations like Black Sun and the Snikmord syndicate have decided take up where the Empire left off. "

I looked over to Skywalker who was on the far side of the flight deck gazing out to the docking bay where heavily armed individuals in black coveralls intermingled with the smugglers loading and off loading cargo. "Why would criminal organizations want him?"

Kort shrugged. "It's a _'wanted alive'_ bounty, so they probably want a Jedi of their own. With time and torture he might be turned to their way of thinking. He could be a great asset."

I blew out a frustrated breath. I thought there was no longer a bounty on Skywalker. Having every criminal and smuggler out to looking for him complicated matters. I can only hope his swollen face allowed him the anonymity he needed for this operation. I turned back to Kort. "I doubt anybody could torture him into cooperating."

He nodded in agreement. "That's probably true. I have heard of his bravery. He is not a man to bend to the will of a warlord." A slight grin touched his lips as he leaned in to whisper to me. "Now…submitting to the will of a beautiful woman…I could see that." He gave me a wink. "I have never seen a man so smitten. He never took his eyes off you during the entire trip. I'm sure you could get him to do anything you want."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. If Skywalker was watching me it was because he didn't fully trust me. Unfortunately, Captain Kort believes Skywalker and I are engaged lovers so I really can't say anything to dispel that belief.

"If that were true he would put down the toilet seat after using the fresher," I said sarcastically.

Kort laughed. "You'll get him trained eventually." He clapped his hands together then gestured towards his men. "Let's get to work."

...

I risked wearing a mechanic's cap with a concealed spy-cam. It was small and sewn into the lining of the hat with the camera disguised as part of a decorative emblem centered on the front panel. After this mission I would return the footage to my headquarters and run a facial recognition scan on the video.

We went to the cargo bay and released the tie-downs and stacked the smaller crates on a hoover-sled. The larger containers would have to wait for a load lifter. Skywalker and I exited the ship, guiding the sled behind us, and were met at the base of the ramp by a tall, lanky man in his mid-fifties wearing a civilian zip-up coverall and holding a datapad. "Cargo from the ship _Habcamber_ goes to bay forty-two and reloaded on the ship berthed there."

"Yes, Sir," Skywalker muttered with eyes down, playing the part of a beaten down or bored crewmember.

As we moved toward the location I stole a backwards glance to the man's seemingly innocuous wardrobe. There was no designation on the coveralls but I noticed he had three vertical creases starched into the back fabric and two vertical creases on the front. The man also made sure his gig line lined up with the edge of his belt buckle. That, along with the highly polished Imperial issue footwear told me either he was a former Imperial or one undercover. If he was undercover I would wager he's working for one of the disenchanted Moffs that disappeared with their fleet to parts unknown a year or so ago.

The thought that rogue Imperials might be behind these massive shipment became very disconcerting when I noticed about twenty children, all wearing identical gray trousers and tunics, walking down another freighter's loading ramp and surrounded by a handful of security guards. Their young eyes were cast down and they remained eerily silent as they marched out of the ship and through the massive docking bay. The younglings didn't look abused or malnourished, but I could sense they feared the men escorting them through the spaceport. They could have easily been mistaken as students in a private school if it wasn't for the fact that they wore tracking collars around their neck—the kind used by various crime syndicates. These younglings weren't on a primary school field trip—they were cargo—they were slaves. Of that I was certain.

Their situation did not go unnoticed by Skywalker. I could feel his anger welling up and I had to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from doing whatever he was going to do.

"Don't do anything that will get us killed." When he tried to step forward I pushed him back. "You can't win this way. You owe it to the crew to stay quiet."

Frustration burned in his eyes, but he stopped and nodded slowly. "Somebody needs to do something about this eventually."

I turned to face him fully putting my hands on his shoulders. "And we will. We will get the information to our governments and we will shut down the slavers…but not now." I stared at him intently. "Do you understand? You can't let your emotions get the best of you. You have to remain calm."

He lowered his eyes and sighed. "You sound like my old master."

I made a huffing noise as I dropped my hands and stepped back. "Obviously that was a lesson you were slow to learn."

"True." He took in a deep calming breath and let it out. "I'm okay. You're right, two people cant stop this. Our governments will have to handle it."

"Good." I paused, regaining my composure. "Good, because I don't want to get us and the crew killed." I turned and continued guiding the hoversled to our destination.

Senni," Skywalker whispered. "I'll mount a tracker on the ship we're going to. Can you think of a way to tag the other ships without causing suspicion?"

"This is a conversation we should have had on the ship." I rolled my eyes and gave a slight shake of my head. "They're your trackers. I thought you had a plan."

He looked around the bustling spaceport. "I didn't expect it to be this busy."

"Let's get this cargo loaded and maybe we'll figure something out." We arrived to docking bay forty-two and started unloading the containers onto the ship. On the way across the bay I had noticed some port technicians that went ship-to-ship refueling or doing maintenance. If I could steal one of those uniforms it would give me an excuse to move freely around the spaceport. The problem was I didn't know where those uniforms were stored. I could take out a technician, but if anybody found an unconscious semi-clothed employee the port would go on complete lockdown. I had to think of another way to move around with impunity.

Skywalker and I completed unloading the sled and were walking down the ship loading-ramp when I heard a squawking in the distance. It was coming from a large cage transported by a load lifter. Inside were hundreds of Blubberbirds. They are fat, stupid, flightless birds whose eggs are used galaxy-wide for food. I gave Skywalker a nudge. "If that cage fell and busted open that would make a wonderful diversion."

"It would." He gave me a mischievous grin. "Let's do it."

As we neared the screeching birds I reached out with the Force and pushed the cage. When I felt Skywalker do the same I nudged the side of the load lifter so it appeared to malfunction. The machine shuttered as Skywalker knocked the cage off the forklifts. I wasn't sure if the cage would remain intact so I utilized the Force to unlock the cage door right before it hit the ground. The sound of hundreds of startled birds was almost deafening…and then the mayhem began. Technicians, mechanics and smugglers were running around chasing the feathery animals. "Everybody help catch them!" I heard one guard yell. I complied by following a bird under a ship. As I grabbed up the animal I place a tracker on the ship hull. I ran back and deposited the bird in the damaged cage, which now had a technician opening and closing the door as people deposited the birds inside. I moved to another bird and another ship and saw Skywalker doing the same. Twenty minutes later I was out of trackers and most of the birds were back in their cage. We returned to our hoversled and made our way back to the _Habcamber_. Captain Kort, who most likely didn't witness the depressing slave situation, was at the bottom of the ramp laughing boisterously.

"All we needed is a jizz-wailer playing a jaunty tune and we would had a hysterical holonet vid."

"Thanks," I said dryly as I moved the sled up the ramp. I was surprised that the cargo bay was now empty. "That was quick. Are we leaving?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I was told the crew needs a debriefing before we are approved for departure. They'll probably threaten or bribe us into silence. If they took over other ships there is no way this would stay a secret unless they had some means of keeping smugglers quiet."

I turned to Skywalker. "I'm going to the flight deck to get a better view of the spaceport. I wan't to see if I can identify any of the ships."

"I'll go with you."

When we arrived at the flight deck we found Hoku and Adar running scans for malicious software. A wide smile crossed Adar's face. "I found it." He stared at the screen for a long time and shook his head. "It is a burrower virus, but for the life of me I can't figure out how it got into our system." He turned to Hoku. "I guess I should delete it."

"No!" I said a little louder than I intended. "Let me put a copy on an exterior drive first. Maybe we can figure out how it got into the system."

I ran back to my cabin and grabbed a mini-drive out of my satchel and then returned to the flight deck and handed it to Adar. "Put any information about the virus and any hyperspace coordinates you can retrieve onto the drive. Don't delete anything unless Captain Kort demands it. I would like to scrutinize your computer system thoroughly when we get out of here, if I can."

"If _**we**_ can," Luke said softly, reminding me that we were going to share information on this mission.

I nodded as Adar handed the drive back to me. "Here you go. I bet the rebels would like to figure out how to highjack ships remotely."

"I bet they would," I said as I slipped the drive into my pocket. Skywalker looked at me suspiciously, but said nothing.

Captain Kort's voice came over the ship's radio. "We have a five minutes until our debriefing appointment. You might as well come on down and be ready when he gets here."

The crew followed Skywalker and me down the corridor and outside the ship. I stood next to the Jedi and checked out his disguise. His face was still swollen and his mop of blue-dyed hair was a tangled mess from chasing blubberbirds. It was a good disguise. I doubt his sister would recognize him.

I returned my attention to the docking bay and waited for our debriefing personnel to arrive when my breath froze in my chest. Coming toward us was a member of the Inquisitorius. He wasn't in the traditional black and red robes, instead wearing a one-piece black coverall, but his face was unmistakable. I met him briefly a couple times while working as the Emperor's Hand.

I turned around to face Skywalker. "The man walking toward us was part of the Inquisitorius. We have to conceal our Force signatures like I taught you." I then gritted my teeth and closed my eyes in frustration realizing that, for me, disguising my force signature was only half the battle. He might know my face! "Stang! He might recognize me," I whispered to Skywalker.

The Jedi looked over my shoulder, his eyes going wide. "What do we do? We don't have time to go back to the ship and get a disguise for you."

I looked at the Jedi's swollen face and only hoped there was enough surface residue from that irritation cream to help me. "Pretend we're kissing." I said as I pulled him close, rubbing my left cheek over his before gently touching his earlobe with my lips. I felt Skywalker's shock as I did the same for the other cheek. I smiled as a burning sensation spreading across my face let me know it was working.

Skywalker cleared his throat before whispering to me, "We can't stay this way forever. He'll get suspicious."

I almost laughed when I realized the Jedi didn't understand the reason for the amorous embrace. He thought I was simply trying to hide my face. "You're right." I stepped back and regarded the Jedi. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," he whispered in a confused tone.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close so I could whisper in his ear. "I rubbed against you to get that cream on my face. I want my face to swell. Is it working?"

I leaned back and saw a blush cross his face. "Yes. It's working."

Hoku gave me a tap on the shoulder. "I don't want to break up your smooch-fest, but our debriefer is here."

I took a deep breath and braced myself for what might come. I turned and smiled widely at the Inquisitor hoping my face was different enough to fool him and that Skywalker and I concealed our Force signature enough to avoid suspicion.

"This is your debriefing," the man said with a cocky smile. He had his hands behind his back as he rocked back on his heels. "When you return to your ship you will allow the navcomputer's preprogramed coordinates to bring you back to the outer rim."

My eyes went wide when I realized the Inquisitor was using a mind trick on us. I knew how to block his efforts, but I wasn't so sure about Skywalker.

"Once out of hyperspace," he continued. "You will erase your navigation records regarding this cargo run. You also will not remember anything about the trip other than you dropped off your cargo at a temporary port, saw nothing of interest, and then departed. Do you understand?"

His gaze fell over the smuggler crew. From the corner of my eye I could see Hoku's blank expression and a slight node of his head. The Inquisitor turned to me and I made a concerted effort to stare at him dully. He smirked before stepping in front of Skywalker. The Jedi's eyes glazed over as he slowly nodded that he understood.

"Good," the Inquisitor said as he stepped back. "You are cleared for departure."

The crew broke ranks and stumbled up the loading ramp. I saw Kort shake his head like a man trying to wake up from a bad dream. Skywalker and I followed close behind, closing the ramp when we reached the top. "Captain Kort! Get us out of here."

Under normal circumstances I am sure the Captain would bristle at me giving orders on his ship, but he simply nodded and motioned his crew to the flight deck.

When they were gone I turned my attention to Skywalker. "Are you alright?"

He blew out a breath as he leaned against a bulkhead. "I guess the Empire is behind this." He gazed at me sadly. "Are you in on this? I don't get it? What's your angle?"

I grabbed him by the elbow and led him to our cabin and closed the door behind us. "It's not the Empire…at least not my Empire. My Empire doesn't enslave children."

He looked at me angrily. "No, just Wookiees."

I glared at him, but couldn't argue that fact. Wookiees were rounded up and forced to do construction on the two Death Stars. I took a deep breath and let it out. "I _will_ find out who's doing this. If it is the Empire…" I couldn't finish the sentence. I refused to believe it possible. "It's not the Empire. It's not, because I wouldn't be part of an organization that enslaves children."

He gave me a fixed stare. "Are you sure about that? Weren't you trained as a child? How about the other Inquisitors?"

I glared at him. "We've had this conversation before. I don't know how I came to the service of the Empire…probably the same way most Jedi had no idea how they ended up living at the Jedi Temple. But that's in the past. This is the present. I'm not involved in what's going on here. If I find out it is the Empire…" I hesitated for a moment, not sure if I wanted to make a promise I might have to keep. "Well, you might have another Imperial deserter for your New Republic."

His eyes blinked in surprise before his gaze sharpened on my face. "Okay, I guess I'll have to believe you." he said in an even tone. "I was never an Inquisitor. I wasn't trained to lie or deceive. You have me at a disadvantage."

I was surprised by his words, but I was even more shocked at the cold hollow feeling that his declaration evoked in me. His words might be true, but it stung. "Fine, Skywalker. When we are back to the known galaxy, you don't have to deal with me anymore." I turned and opened the cabin door.

"Litassa," he began, sounding contrite.

I turned and silenced him with a stare. "Don't talk. Just don't. I'm going to check on the crew. Hopefully that Inquisitor didn't memory rub more than he had to." I abruptly turned and left him and his accusations back in the cabin.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Entry 30**_

I found Skywalker sitting on the bottom bunk and fiddling with his datapad when I returned to our cabin. He set the contraption down and looked at me shamefaced. "Litassa, I'm sorry."

I waved him off. "There is nothing to be sorry about. The first day we met I stunned you and turned you over to an Imperial extraction team, possibly to be tortured. Why would you trust me? You would be a fool to do so. I don't expect you to trust me."

He gave a disbelieving snort. "That's a lie. I could feel your disappointment. It bothered you."

I narrowed a cold, hard look at him. "That's not true."

This time he laughed. "It is true. I felt it—anger and disappointment. Are you telling me I'm wrong?"

I folded my arms across my chest and turned so I didn't have to face him. "I was maybe a little disappointed." I glanced back at him. "My training did include knowing how to lie and deceive convincingly…and if I was doing that, then you questioning my intentions wouldn't bother me." I took a deep breath and let it out. "But, I wasn't lying and so…" I shrugged and turned away. "It is hard to explain. I felt my integrity was in question…which is ridiculous under the circumstances."

"I wasn't questioning your integrity." I could hear the springs of his bunk squeak as he stood. "I am sure you are completely loyal to your government and your superiors."

I scoffed. "You know that's not an accurate statement. Otherwise I wouldn't have tampered with your stuncuffs and you'd probably wouldn't be alive today."

"And for that I am forever thankful." He gently rested a hand on my shoulder causing me to whirl and slap his hand away.

He took a step back and made a disarming gesture. "Sorry." He went back to his bunk and sat down. "I am sorry for accusing you of lying. I was shocked to discover an Inquisitor there. It had me wondering if I've been naïve in my dealings with the Empire."

"Did that _just_ occur to you?" I asked with a smirk. I laughed when he gave an overly exaggerated mock sigh of frustration. "Skywalker, if the Empire is pulling a fast one on the New Republic, it is doing so without my knowledge. I have been straightforward in telling you various Moffs left the Empire and struck out on their own."

He nodded quietly before changing the subject. "How's the crew?"

"The crew is fine. They think they just finished the most uneventful and profitable cargo run they have ever experienced. They're celebrating."

"What did you say the Inquisitor did to them…a memory rub?"

"Yes." I sat down next to him. "It allows you to erase memories from a person. The Inquisitor also added a thought suggestion."

He turned on the bunk to face me fully. "I have seen my master do the suggestion part. I've heard people call it a ' _Jedi mind trick'_. I don't know why he didn't tell me about the memory rub."

"Because it is a darkside skill." I ventured. "You can probably do it with the lightside of the Force, but I was always told the Jedi avoided certain skills, seeing them as evil…like the Force choke or the memory rub."

I can see him hesitate before asking me the next question. "Were you taught…those things?"

"No."

As soon as I answered I knew I peaked his curiosity. "Why not? You said you trained as an Inquisitor."

Part of me wanted to tell him the truth, but I knew it was risky. I was closely associated with the most reviled man in modern history. Letting my identity to be known opened me up a whole host of consequences. Having Skywalker believe I was an Inquisitor was bad enough, how would he react if he knew I was the Emperor's Hand? Would he tell his sister and the next thing I know I have New Republic agents hunting me down as a war criminal? My life depended on keeping my identity and link to the Emperor a secret. I decided the best way to explain things, while still maintaining the lie, was to interweave aspects of the truth into my explanation. "I was an experiment," I said slowly. "The Emperor saw all Force strong individuals as threats. Most of his skills were passed on only to one person…your father. He was Palpatine's apprentice. The Inquisitors were given a watered down version of darkside training. The Emperor feared they would band together and attempt to overthrow him if they became too powerful…and he knew that was a very real possibility because the darkside makes you ruthless and power-crazy." I paused in thought before deciding the best way to proceed. "The Emperor wanted to see if he could train a loyal disciple without using the darkside of the Force. That's what I was…a Force-neutral Inquisitor. The Emperor believed without the darkside the insatiable desire for power would not grow within me. I would be a loyal Imperial subject, strong in the Force, but one without the darkside tendencies to conquer and usurp power."

He raised his eyebrows. "And did it work?"

"Do you see me trying to become the Empress of the galaxy?" I couldn't resist a little sarcasm. "Maybe I should. I could be _her royal exalted empress of the known galaxy_ and you can be my loyal, but naïve, cabin boy."

I was surprised when he playfully grabbed his pillow and smacked me across my midsection. I snatched it out of his hand and stood, doing my best to look angry. "Be careful Jedi or I'll smother you with your own pillow tonight."

His eyes shone with amusement. "Wouldn't that be a darkside skill?"

I tossed the pillow back at him. "I am fairly certain I can accomplish the task without the use of the Force."

He shook his head and smirked as he repositioned his pillow on the bed. "I am sure you could." He turned back to me, his blue eyes lingering on my face. "We make a good team. I enjoyed working with you. I'll miss you when this mission is over. I hope we can do it again sometime."

I was shocked when I felt a sad loneliness projecting from the Jedi. He was telling the truth when he said he would miss me. He must have seen the surprise in my eyes because he cleared his throat and turned away. "Sorry. I guess I am overly sentimental." He stood and made his way to the door.

"Where are you going?"

He ran a hand over his face trying to hide a growing blush. "I'm just going to tell Kort, Adar and Hoku how much I am going to miss them when we part ways." He laughed uneasily. "That's what I do. I don't want you to think my somewhat impassioned declaration of comradely was focused entirely on you."

I chuckled at his discomfort. He was halfway out the door when I said, "I think I'll miss you too, Farmboy."

I stifled a smile as his eyes went wide and he stood there like a dewback caught in the headlights of a speeder. Before he could say anything I pushed him out the door. "Give Kort, Adar and Hoku a kiss for me," I said jokingly.

The door slide shut, but I could feel Skywalker's presence on the other side of the door as various emotions surged through him and projected clearly to me. He was confused, but mainly pleased with my words. I leaned against the door and wondered if he could feel my emotions though the Force despite my shielding. Could he sense my surprise? The great surprise that what I told him was true?

I sure hope not.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Entry 31**_

When we exited hyperspace we found ourselves not at Rallo V, but near the _Isarey_ space station. It is a transportation hub servicing the mid-rim in the Galactic South and centrally located between three small hyperspace routes that connect to the Corellian Trade Spire. It was a fairly large station and thankfully it had shuttles that connected to many highly populated planets. I shouldn't have any trouble getting back to my home base on Epta Prime.

After landing I said my goodbyes to the crew who appeared a little confused as to why they ended up in the mid-rim, but chalked it up to pilot error and too much celebrating the night before.

As Skywalker and I walked down the passenger ramp, I noticed his furtive glances in my direction as nervous anticipation radiated off him through the Force. I truly hope he is not expecting a goodbye kiss or something equally ridiculous.

"So," he began. "I guess we should exchange contact information."

I chuckled under my breath. He sounded like a young schoolboy trying to get the pretty girl's comlink number. I folded my arms across my chest and gave him a even gaze. "And why is that?"

He rolled his eyes. "So, if and when, I discover where those shipments are going I can send you the information." He pointed to my satchel. "And you have that download from the navigation system that may indicate how Kort's ship was remotely accessed." He gave me a guarded look. "Unless you want to keep that information to yourself. That technology would be a game changer. If the treaty failed…" He trailed off not wanting to go down that path.

He was right. The technology to remotely commandeer ships could guarantee a military victory in any battle. If a rogue Moff was responsible he could draw the Empire and the New Republic back into a galactic war… and I was tired of war. "Do you promise to let me know if your trackers discover the cargo's destination?"

"Yes, of course."

I reached into my bag and pulled out a copy of the data retrieved from the ship's computers and handed it to the Jedi. "I made you a copy."

He looked down at the datachip in awe. "To be honest, I didn't think you would give me a copy." He gazed at me softly as a smile tugged on his lips. "Your superiors will have a fit if they discovered you shared this information."

I shrugged. "We discovered it together. You could have easily gotten a download for yourself. The fact that you didn't indicates you trusted my word when I promised to make you a copy."

His smile brightened. "Do you trust me with your contact information?"

I grinned as I pulled my datapad out of my bag and handed to him. "You give me yours and I'll give you mine."

* * *

 _ **Entry 32**_

On the way home to Epta Prime I carefully edited the video captured from the concealed hat camera. I had to remove my discussion with Skywalker about the Inquisitor recognizing me. I considered editing out the entire interaction with the Inquisitor, but my superiors should know former or rogue Imperials were involved. If asked why the memory rub didn't affect me I will explain to my commander that once I watched the video the memories returned. I hate lying to Commander Darten, but the anti-Force-user bias is alive and well in the Empire. Letting him know of my abilities could jeopardize my life and my restored Imperial career. I encrypted the data and transmitted it to my superior officer allowing him to get a head start on analyzing the information.

When I arrived to my base I immediately went to my commander's office to report in. I found him sitting at his desk, frowning at his datapad and shaking his head. His door was open and he waved me in when he noticed my approach. "Lieutenant Colay, please come in." He gestured at a chair in front of his desk. "Please sit down."

"Thank you, sir." I sat straight in the chair and waited for my debriefing.

"I was just looking at the information you transmitted." He looked up and smiled. "It was very enlightening." He looked back to the datapad. "It is very interesting, indeed."

I craned my neck trying to see what he found so fascinating, but he held it at an angle that prevented me from doing so.

"I'm glad it was of some use."

He grinned. "More than you can ever imagine." He turned the device around and I could see he had frozen the image of the Inquisitor. "This is Inquisitor Dritsek. He worked in the Imperial Palace while Emperor Palpatine ruled."

I was surprised Commander Darten recognized a member of the Inquisitorius. Their images were supposedly purged from any facial recognition systems. That made me nervous. If they weren't actually taken out of the system, was there a possibility my image might be in some database? "How do you know sir? I thought the Inquisitorius weren't in any facial identification systems."

He turned the datapad back in his direction and began looking at more images. "Oh, they aren't in any system. I once worked in the Palace. That's how I know him. I know the faces of just about everybody that worked and lived there." He looked at me. "Everyone." He pointed a finger to his head. "I have a eidetic memory when it comes to faces. It has served me well in this profession."

A sick knot formed in my stomach. If Commander Darten knew the Inquisitor's face, did he know who I was?

He gazed at the datapad and frowned. "Why was the holovid edited?"

That knot in my stomach turned to a spasm. "What do you mean, sir?"

He turned the datapad around and pressed _play._ "You had those hilarious images of you and Skywalker chasing birds around. You then went up to the ship's deck and recorded images of the ships in the docking bay. Then it stops, but resumes when the Inquisitor starts talking to you and the crew. Why was it edited?"

I avoided answering. "Why do you think it was edited? The camera could have been turned off and then back on again at a later time."

"Answering a question with a question." He chuckled. "You really don't want to tell me the truth, do you?" He leaned back in his chair and gave me a knowing look. "If the camera was turned off and later you reactivated the camera there would be a second or two when the autofocus makes adjustments. It is rare for any video recording device to not go through that procedure. That tells me that the camera wasn't activated at that moment, but something was cut out."

I lowered my eyes and grimaced. He knew I edited the recording. I have once again _greatly_ underestimated my superior.

Instead of demanding an answer he changed the subject. "Okay, let's forget that question. I have another. I can understand why Skywalker wasn't affected by the Inquisitor's mind meddling, but why weren't you affected?"

I had rehearsed my lie, but at this point I was reluctant to stick with the fake story. "I have a holovid of what happened." Which is true, but that didn't really answer his question.

He laughed out loud as he stood, wandered past me and closed the door to his office. He then leaned on his desk regarding me with amusement. "When the Emperor died the Inquisitorius was hunted down and killed by shortsighted Moffs who saw them as cruel, Force-welding tyrants." He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor. "Some of them did deserve to die. I have seen what the darkside of the Force does to them. It poisons their souls and skews their moral compass. I wasn't a fan of them either, but I thought many could have been reconditioned and given a chance to continue to serve the Empire."

I sat stiffly and remained silent. If Commander Darten knew my identity he probably figured it out months ago. I doubt I was in any danger. I just needed to find out what he knew.

He pushed off from his desk and sat back down in his chair. "I know the Emperor's Force users could choke out a person by just looking at them. It is a useful skill, but not one I would want to experience personally." He cocked his head to the side and gave me an inquisitive look. "Do you think that will ever happen to me?"

I slouched in my chair defeated. He obviously recognized me from the palace and knew I wasn't Litassa Colay from the planet Chibias. He also suspected I was a Force user and now was wondering out loud if I planned to kill him.

"How did you discover who I am?"

He gave me an infuriating toothy grin. "I _don't_ know who you are? But by your response I now know your name isn't Colay."

I gave an audible groan. Did I just fall for the oldest trick in the book?

"Oh don't feel so bad. Your false identity is flawless." He leaned forward in his seat and pointed to his temple. "As I said I have a eidetic memory when it comes to faces. And I know I have seen you before in the palace. Because I recognized you, I did a background check when you came to my command. There is a real Litassa Colay that was a college student on Chibias and you look very much like her. Since I only saw you a few times in the palace I assumed you, meaning Litassa Colay, was on Coruscant at one point and may have worked at the palace as an intern. For the longest time I never gave it a second thought, but watching your holovid sparked a memory. I remember seeing you walk down a hallway in the palace as a group of Inquisitors were strutting down the same corridor. Those cocky di'kuts made everybody scatter out of their way…until they came up to you. They stepped aside for you. I remember wondering why, but soon forgot about it. After seeing your holovid, I became curious as to why your memory was still intact and it was then I realized Inquisitors never show much respect to senior officers, but they would kowtow to any Force-user stronger than them. I then began to wonder if you might have been an Imperial Force-user...one strong enough to put fear into an inquisitor. That would explain why you weren't affected by this Inquisitor' mind-kriff and it would also explain Skywalker's intense interest in you."

I stared at the floor contemplating my options. I didn't want to confess my true identity, but I also knew I couldn't continue this façade.

"Lieutenant Colay," Commander Darten said softly. "I don't need to know your real name or previous profession in the Empire. I just need you to be honest in your briefings. I can't have you censor your reports. I now suspect many of the irregularities in your previous after-action reports entailed hiding your abilities."

I blew out a frustrated breath. "If your superiors discover my past, they might not be as… forgiving."

He nodded. "True and I know that. Put in your official report what you feel safe revealing, but I want an unaltered report for my eyes only. You are an extremely valuable asset. I am not going to let the Moffs execute one of my best agents."

I gaze at him intently. "Why are you doing this? If a loyalty officer discovers you are protecting me, they might kill you."

"Loyalty officer," he made a sound of disgust. "You can't inspire loyalty at the end of a blaster."

I didn't know how to respond to that comment. I was sure Commander Darten was a dedicated Imperial. I could sense it in the Force. What was his angle?

"I don't want to discuss this here in detail. I usually invite new officers to my house for dinner. Would you like come on over tonight? My wife would love to meet the young officer who I talk so highly about."

I hesitated in accepting the invitation. Was this a ploy to get me alone for whatever reason?

"If you are reluctant to come I can get my wife on the comlink and prove to you that she does exist."

I was now wondering if Commander Darten was also a Force-user. How can he anticipate my thoughts with such accuracy?

Finally I nodded. "I would love to meet your wife."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Entry 33**_

Before the end of the workday my commander asked to see the unedited holovid. I now regret not learning how to Force choke somebody. He watched it like it was a blooper vid from some comedy.

"Oh I just love this part." He turned the datapad around so I would view the vid from where I was sitting in his office. He played the part of the recording where I was rubbing my face over Skywalker's in the hopes of transferring some of the tissue-swelling cream onto my face. "Look at his eyes when you said, _'Pretend we're kissing'_ ". He started laughing raucously as I leaned forward in the video and Skywalker's eyes went wide. "That man has it bad for you."

I made a huffing sound before crossing my arms across my chest and glaring at my superior. "He was just surprised by my actions."

He smirked as he turned the datapad around and squinted at the image, scrutinizing every detail. "Surprised maybe, but did you noticed he licked his lips nervously."

"He did not."

He laughed some more before handing me the datapad. I blushed when I noticed the Jedi did exhibit a slight flick of the tongue. "That doesn't mean anything. Maybe his lips were dry."

He grabbed the device back and fast-forwarded the video to another spot. "This one is funny also."

He didn't show me the vid but I heard my voice over the datapad saying, "How do I look" and Skywalker responding, "Beautiful."

He turned it off and set it down on his desk. "I didn't think anything could beat the bird chasing scene, but seeing how flustered you made the hero of the rebellion is hilarious."

"Thanks," I said dryly. I was just glad I turned off the vid-recorder once I was away from the Inquisitor. At least Commander Darten wasn't privy to my conversation with Skywalker about my training. I guess it wouldn't really matter. I have hid the fact that I was the Emperor's Hand from Skywalker. I simply claimed that I was an Inquisitor and I am fairly certain that is exactly what Commander Darten believes my previous profession was prior to joining the Intelligence Corps. I am somewhat surprised that he hasn't pressed me for more information.

"You can deny it all you want," my commander said with a grin. "But it is obvious that Skywalker is smitten with you."

I shook my head. "He's not smitten. He distrusts me."

Commander Darten nodded. "That may be, but that doesn't mean he is not interested."

I was getting a little irritated with this line of conversation. "Why are you bringing this up? Are you suggesting I seduce him for information?"

His smile grew wider. "Do you want to seduce him for information?"

"No!" I said emphatically.

He stood and straightened his uniform tunic. "Then I'm not suggesting such a thing." He motioned toward his office door. "You can go off-duty early. Dinner is at 2000 hours, casual dress. I live on Colonel's Row, quarters fifty-three."

"Fifty-three at 2000 hours." I stood at attention and waited to be officially dismissed, but he just gave a wave of his hand indicating that I should go. I'm glad he let me off work early. I need to purchase something casual to wear. I don't want to arrive at his house looking like an assassin.

* * *

 _ **Entry 34**_

I was impressed by Commander Darten's home. It wasn't one of the connecting townhouses junior officers reside in, but a two-story brick home with a small fenced in yard with colorful flowers planted under the windows and along the walkway. I stopped at the door and checked out my new outfit. I wore slim cut trousers with ankle high boots and topped with a gray rib knit V-neck sweater tunic. It was practical but also what I would consider smart casual. I knocked on the wooden door and was greeted by my commander and an elegant looking, middle aged woman who introduced herself as the Commander's wife, Marta Darten. I was once told officer's wives were officious and always tried to wear their husband's rank. Obviously I was misinformed because I found Marta to be a modest and extremely pleasant woman.

"It is so nice to meet you, Litassa," she said while shaking my hand. "Venn has told me so much about you." She released my palm and took a step back. "I have to finish dinner." She turned to her husband. "Venn, can you entertain our guest for a moment."

"Yes, Dear." My commander motioned for me to follow him. It was odd seeing him in civilian clothes. He was wearing a long sleeved dress tunic and dark, untucked trousers over leather boots. He led me into what looked like the living room. "I have a bottle of sparkling wine chilled or if you want something stronger I have Corellian Brandy."

"The wine sounds good."

He smiled warmly. "I'll go get you a glass."

When he left I took the time to look at the holos and 2-D captured images on his fireplace mantle. Most were of my commander and his wife, but there were a few of a beautiful young woman, probably about my age, with green eyes and black hair. Commander Darten never talked about a daughter but she would be the proper age if he and Marta had a child.

He returned holding two glass flutes filled with amber bubbling liquid. "Here you go."

I took the glass and turned my attention back to the image of the young woman. "Is this your daughter?"

I instantly regretted asking the question when I sensed a twinge on sadness from my commander.

"No unfortunately, Marta and I can't have children thanks to the Emperor's mandatory immunization program."

I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

He took a sip from his glass and then gave me a forced smile. "Shortly after Palpatine became Emperor he ordered attacks on rebellious planets. A group of revolutionaries used biological weapons against his forces, so he ordered his scientists to find a vaccine against the virus. And when they found a vaccine, he ordered all soldiers deploying to that particular planet to get the vaccination. I was attached to an infantry company as their intelligent asset, so I was given the injection." He pulled in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Everybody was in such a rush to squash the insurgents that they didn't bother doing human trials on the drug. About ten percent of the men in the unit became sterile as an unfortunate side effect. I was one of the unlucky few."

"Oh," that is all I could think to say.

"The girl is my late niece…my brother's girl. She died while attending college."

"That is so sad," I said quietly. "Was it an accident or illness?"

He shook his head. "Neither. It was murder." He took enough sip of his wine while staring at the image of his niece. "She was attending college at the Alderaan University of Art and Design when…it happened."

I let out a shuttered breath. He didn't need to explain what 'it' was. She was on planet when Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed the defenseless world. I remained silent for a long pause before asking a question that probably shouldn't be asked. "Sir, with all the pain the empire has given you and your family…" I hesitated for a moment. I was going to ask him how he could remain loyal to a government that destroyed his brother's family and stole any chance of him having his own family, but thought better of it.

"I know what you are going to ask," he said with a chuckle. "How can I remain with the Empire? Why didn't I tender my resignation under the circumstances?"

"Yes," I said with a nod.

He finished his drink and set his glass down next to the image of his niece. "The immunization was early in my career and I truly believe it was an accident. Alderaan happened 6 years before I become eligible for retirement." He turned and looked in the direction of the kitchen were I assume his wife was located. "It's hard being a military wife. I was always gone. The missions were dangerous, so she never knew if I was coming home alive. I told her once I retire things would be different. We would travel and have fun as a couple. Unfortunately, if I resigned prior to my twenty-fifth year in service I got nothing. No medical, no pension, nothing. Marta and my retirement plans would be over. I would have to start my life over as a civilian in the middle of a war." He smiled and gave me a nod. "You probably know how tough starting over is."

I nodded in agreement, but stayed silent.

"Anyway, I blame Grand Moff Tarkin, the Emperor and Darth Vader, not the government as a whole. This was their secret little project. I didn't even know about it until the construction was complete. I heard rumors that the Emperor had convicts from the penal world of Despayre to build the thing…and when they finished they tested their monstrous weapon on the planet. It was a way to get rid of any witnesses that weren't loyal Imperials." He heaved a sigh. "Tarkin, Palpatine and Vader—three men—corrupted the Empire and hijacked a government for their own evil purposes." He shook his head sadly. "I've known hundreds of Imperial soldiers and not one of them do I considered evil." He looked at me questioningly. "Do you consider me evil? Or yourself?"

I shook my head. "No, and that is why I decided to start over. The government is worth saving."

Marta walked into the room holding a class of wine. "Dinner's ready you two." She smiled brightly and motioned toward a dining room. "I can't wait to hear about your adventures with Luke Skywalker."

I know my face must have fell because my commander chuckled. "I forgot to tell you that Marta has been fascinated with Jedi Knights since she was a little girl."

I glared at my commander as I walked to the dining area. "Yes Sir, you did fail to mention that interesting tidbit of information."

He laughed out loud this time. "In your Basic training you were taught how to resist torture. You are just going to have to dig deep and endure the upcoming interrogation."

 _'Yep'_ , I thought jokingly. _'I am really starting to regret not learning how to Force choke.'_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Entry 35**_

Dinner was delicious, but the conversation was exceedingly awkward. I was barely seated before Marta started bombarding me with questions about the Jedi.

"What is Jedi Skywalker like? Is he anything like the way New Republic propaganda movies portray him?"

"I wouldn't know, I never watched a Skywalker propaganda movie," I murmured as Commander Darten passed me a bowl of streamed vegetables from which I scooped out a modest serving onto my plate. I glanced up at the woman. "I'm surprised that you've watched them…him being a rebel and you being an Imperial and all."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in the hero of the rebellion, but the Jedi Knight. Unlike you, I grew up with Jedi as my heroes. I was horrified when I was told they tried to overthrow the government and the Emperor had them killed. I was heartbroken. What I want to know is how is he as a Jedi?"

"Since I didn't grow up with the Jedi around," I said as I served myself a slab of nerf steak before passing the dish to Marta. "I have no idea how he stacks up as a Jedi."

Marta frowned slightly. "Well, tell me what he's like as a man."

I gave a soft sigh as I pushed my food around my plate with my fork. "He's shorter than I imagined…probably one-point-seven meters. He's not the cocky pilot that I assumed he would be. He once was a farmer and he maintains his small town boy persona."

Marta gazed at me with an expression of rapt attention and wonder. "Who trained him? Did some Jedi survive?"

I gave a small shrug of my shoulder. "He said he was trained some a Jedi Master named Yoda."

"Yoda!" She grinned widely as she turned to her husband. "You remember the Grand Master Yoda don't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he tried to finish chewing a large chunk of meat. I think he purposely kept his mouth full so to avoid the conversation entirely. I was considering following his example if this interrogation continued much longer. Finally he managed to swallow his food and gave an expression of contemplation. "Yoda…was he that Jedi with the really long neck? You know, the Quermian?"

Her face scrunched up in disbelief. "You know its not. You are an intelligence agent. You may deny it, but I am sure the Emperor had you actively searching for any surviving Jedi. I am positive you can list off their names, species and the addresses of their next of kin if you wanted to."

"I'm sorry, honey. I can't remember who Yoda was. Why don't you refresh my memory? What species was he?"

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. "I don't know, but I can tell you he was green."

"Oh," my commander said with a nod of the head. "Was he the Nautolan?"

She shook her head. "You're thinking of Kit Fisto."

He threw up his hands in defeat. "Sorry, but I honestly was not assigned to the Jedi-hunting death squads." He pointed a fork in my direction. "I'm certain Litassa has more interesting stories to tell. She shared a ship cabin with Skywalker for almost two weeks. Surely he told her everything he knows about the Jedi."

I glowered at my boss. He didn't like his wife's line of questioning so he steers the conversation towards me.

Marta turned to me grinning excitedly. "Two weeks trapped in a small cabin with a Jedi. That is so…"

 _'If she said_ **Romantic** _I would scream'._

"So intimate."

 _'That was almost as bad'._

I cleared my throat before forcing a smile on my face. "We stayed in the common crew areas most of the time and only went to the cabin to sleep. It wasn't that intimate."

Marta looked disappointed. "I'm an old woman hoping for scandalous details." She took another sip of her wine. "I'm disappointed."

"I'm sorry I don't have any salacious details to share. Skywalker was very professional during our mission. Although we were posing as an engaged couple, he always a gentleman and never took advantage of the situation."

Marta nodded. "He sounds like a good man."

I reluctantly had to agree. "He is. He doesn't appear to have a deceitful bone in his body. I guess you can say I trust him."

"So," Marta continued. "Is he celibate?"

That question surprised me so much I nearly choked on my food. I managed to get the steak down with the help of a lot of wine. "I assure you I have no knowledge of the man's sex life."

Marta blushed. "Sorry, I should have prefaced that questions with an explanation before asking. The reason I asked is because the Jedi of old did not have families. Some were celibate. Others had casual relationships and that was tolerated as long as they didn't form an attachment. That is why they were such great fodder for romance holo-dramas when I was a child. The handsome celibate Jedi is seduced by the beautiful woman he saved from crime lords. It was forbidden love."

I shook my head. "I never discussed sex with Skywalker."

"You should ask him that question the next time you see him," Commander Darten said as he chewed his food. "Ask him if is going to train new Jedi to be celibate warriors?"

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. "I'm not going to ask him that question."

"It would be a shame if he did," Marta continued. "Having sex without forming a connection seemed so loutish. Why were one-night-stands okay with the Jedi order and not having a family?"

"I can think of a reason," my commander suggested. "The Jedi were the most powerful people in the galaxy before their demise. They had powers that made them almost god-like. Most people couldn't take them on directly, unless you found a weakness. Families make a person vulnerable. If a criminal could abduct a spouse or child of a Jedi they could probably make that Force-user do anything they want in exchange for the safe return of their loved ones."

"I suppose you're right."

"Or the criminal could keep the child if he or she is a Force user," I said quietly. "They can train the kid to do their bidding. I'm sure most crime lords would love to have their very own Force-user at their beck-and-call."

"Then maybe it is best if Skywalker doesn't have children," Marta mused out loud. "Any child of his would be a target for every malcontent in the galaxy."

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt bad for Skywalker. If he married and had a family he probably would have to protect them constantly from bounty hunters, fanatical holojournalists and kidnappers. Also, if Skywalker's parentage was ever discovered his family might fall prey to that dangerously obsessive Cult of Vader.

"Hey, do you watch the holo-series ' _Blackwing walkers'_?" My commander asked me, mercifully changing the subject. "The new season premier is showing tomorrow and Marta and I are going crazy about the previous season finale's cliffhanger. Who died at the end of last season?"

I dove into this new line of conversation with enthusiasm. I'd prefer discussing virus-mutated monsters over Skywalker any day.

* * *

 _ **Entry 36**_

Two weeks had passed before I heard from Skywalker. It was an encrypted message asking me to meet him on the mid-rim world of Chalcedon where he and Han Solo were meeting some smuggler contacts. He refused to tell me over the comm what information he had and insisted that I meet him personally. I am sure this is just an excuse for him to badger me about Jedi training again.

I talked to my commander who approved the mission. Since there were no public transit shuttles to Chalcedon (mainly because it is a volcanic hellhole), Commander Darten was forced to provide me with a small civilian shuttle. I would have preferred an Imperial Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle with all its luxuries, but am certain Skywalker wouldn't appreciate me scaring off all of his smuggler contacts. The Jedi said he would send me detailed rendezvous information when I reach the Chalcedon System.

* * *

 _ **Entry 37**_

I have entered the Chalcedon System and received a message from Skywalker that the meeting was changed to the nearby planet of Takodana. That is fine with me; at least that planet has a temperate climate, with lush green forests and large pristine lakes and oceans. I got landing coordinates for an area near a lakeside fortress where I am to meet the Jedi.

* * *

 _ **Entry 38**_

Our rendezvous location was a stone citadel full of more smugglers and bounty hunters of various species than I have ever seen in my life. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise. The Empire has know about this smuggler haven for decades, but since it was near the outer rim and the world held no tactical importance my government has ignored its presence. I entered the large castle and moved into a dimly lit tavern where I saw Skywalker sitting at the establishment's busy bar. He waved me over and pulled his coat off the adjacent seat that he was obviously saving for me.

"Its nice to see you again Litassa?" he said with a smile. Before I could respond the cantina's band started wailing a jaunty tune that made conversation impossible. Skywalker stood and motioned for me to follow. I didn't sense any danger or deception from the man, so I fell in step behind him. We roamed down a dark corridor and then entered a room which I quickly realized was the man's rented living quarters. He closed the large door and then turned to lean against it. "This place is loud. Sorry about that." He looked around the room and blushed slightly. "I tried to rent a conference room, but this is the best I could do. I hope you don't feel uncomfortable."

I sighed dramatically as I sat on the edge of his bed. "I have been in more than one hotel room with you Skywalker. Plus we shared a cabin for almost two weeks. Any awkwardness has long passed."

"Good." He smiled as he ran his hand across his chin, scratching the mangy stubble that looked like the start of a beard. "I thought we'd get together and discuss our findings."

"Sure." I leaned back on his bed, propping myself up on my elbows. "I identified a majority of the ships. Most are smugglers, but others were old Imperial freighters. They belonged to Moff H'atsk's fleet. He deserted, along with his armada, over a year ago."

He pushed off the door and started to pace the room. "So whoever is buying all of these supplies are former Imperials."

"Possibly, or the Moff sold off his ships and equipment and he's now off on some ocean world's beach drinking spice-spiked fruity drinks and getting a tan."

The Jedi stopped and cocked his head questioningly. "Who would have the funds to purchase a fleet?"

"Well," I said slowly. "I did notice a number of Munn ships in the port. There might be a chance that the IGBC is involved."

His eyes went wide. "The InterGalactic Banking Clan? No…they are the New Republic's creditors. They are on our side."

"Yes," I said sarcastically. "They are on _our_ side. They are the Empire's creditors, also. What makes you think they won't provide funds to a third party?"

He frowned as he sat down on his bed a respectful distance from me. "If the IGBC is involved it will be hard to crack this case. They are one of the most secretive organizations in the Galaxy and they are powerful."

I nodded. "True. Credits talk." I turned so I was laying on my side facing the Jedi. "So what did you discover with the tracking devices?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. The ships must be going deep into the unknown region to places our relay probes haven't reached."

"What?" I sat up and glared at the man. "You call a meeting and you don't have anything to share." I stood and straightened my tunic. "I should have guessed this was a farce…a chance to badger me about training with you."

"No, no," Skywalker stood and put his hands out in a beseeching manner. "I have something to share, but not about the trackers. I think I may have figured out how Kort's ship was hijacked."

"Oh." I sat back down. "Please continue."

Skywalker walked over to a small dresser and picked up a datapad. "Remember when Adar and Hoku found that strange burrower virus that they said was almost undetectable."

He pointed to the datapad and I immediately recognized the information taken off Korts ship. "I remember."

"Well, they thought the supposed burrower was what allowed the ship to be remotely accessed. Since they never saw that particular programing before and they just assumed it was the cause of the hijacking. They were confused as to what it was and how it got there. When I showed it to our New Republic slicers were also stumped."

"As was our Imperial slicers," I admitted.

"It wasn't until I showed my brother-in-law the program that we discovered it wasn't something used to take over a ship. It was a somewhat secret computer program used by smuggler captains and its existence is often hidden from their crew. Han thinks it was probably installed by Captain Kort himself. It is a ship tracker. Ship owners install the covert program in case their ship is stolen by their crew or pirates."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Then why wouldn't Kort let us know."

Skywalker sat back down on the bed, this time much closer to me. "If you remember correctly, Adar and Hoku found the program and then we were called down to see the Inquisitor. After that the crew's minds were scrambled. Kort never knew Adar and Hoku found the program so he couldn't tell us anything about it. Adar and Hoku honestly didn't know what the program was and they probably didn't remember finding it after their mind-wipe."

I gave an incredulously expression. "How sure is Solo about this program?"

Skywalker grinned. "One-hundred-percent. He has it installed on the Falcon."

I regarded him quizzically. "Then how did the ship get commandeered remotely?"

"I have a theory. After examining the hyperspace logs everything points to an inside job. I think Hoku or Adar inputted the coordinates in themselves and flew the ship to the location."

I shook my head. "Impossible. I felt their astonishment and surprise."

"So did I." His blue eyes stared at me intently. "I think the person at the warehouse where they acquired the goods was another inquisitor. I believe they got mind-tricked prior to the mission. They put in the coordinates for the final destination and set the ship to automatically go into hyperdrive when they reached the first location. And neither remembers ever doing it. "

My eyes widened slightly, but then narrowed in disbelieve. "No, that would require Force sensitives in every distribution locale."

"And there is five. That is what Han is doing here. He is questioning his smuggler buddies and it turned out there have been five main distribution points where these smugglers are picking up the cargo." He gave me a hopeful smile. "I thought you could accompany me to these locations and maybe help me spot former inquisitors. It would prove my theory."

"That may be, but how will that help us find the final destination of these goods?"

Skywalker bit down on his bottom lip looking uneasy. "The New Republic believes they can get the Inquisitors to talk."

My eyes narrowed as my temper rose slightly. "You mean torture?"

Skywalker looked away. "Intel didn't tell me what they planned to do."

I let out a sardonic laugh. "Please, farmboy, you can't be that naïve."

"You're probably right." He averted his eyes and I could see a blush heat his cheeks.

I crossed my arms across my chest. "Why would you think I would give up former Imperials?"

He shrugged. "Sorry. I forgot these Inquisitors were your comrades…perhaps friends." He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe we can insert an undercover agent to befriend them...perhaps get them drunk and loosen their tongues."

"I think you watch too many spy-holos. These men are trained killers. They are not going to let their guard down."

His shoulders slumped. "There has to be a way."

Before I could respond there was a knock on the door causing Skywalker to jump off the bed nervously. He moved forward and put a hand on the closed door before turning to me wide-eyed. "It's Han."

I was a little confused by his behavior. "So?"

His earlier blush turned a deep red. "I'd rather he not see you here in my room." He looked back at the door as the knocking became louder. "He'll tease me unmercifully."

I had to laugh. Here was the hero of the rebellion acting like a teenager who smuggled a girl into his room and was about to be caught by his parents. I grinned deviously as I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my tunic revealing some cleavage before lying down on the Jedi's bed in a semi-provocative pose. "I really want to see how you handle this."

He looked at me pleadingly before an expression of defeat crossed his face. He opened the door a few centimeters peeking out. "Hey Han, what's up?"

"What's up?" said the man on the other side of the door. "Let me in so I can tell you what I found out."

I could see the door move a bit but the Jedi kept his brother-in-law out. "Han, can we talk later."

Through the Force I felt a shift of emotions from Solo. It was suspicion and worry, followed by the sound of a blaster being pulled from its holster. "Luke, is there somebody in there with you." The man whispered the question, but I was able to pick up the conversation with the help of some Force-enhanced hearing.

"Yes, there is somebody in here with me," the Jedi said out loud but then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Han, I am talking to a lady friend. Can you give me some privacy?"

I heard the smuggler on the other side of the door chuckle. "Alright, kid…but isn't your Imperial girlfriend going to give you hell if she finds out you have a party girl in your room."

The Jedi groaned as he leaned his head on the door. "Han she isn't my girlfriend."

"Oh come on. You talk about her constantly. _Litassa is so beautiful and talented and strong with the Force._ You can't tell me you don't have a thing for her. She's got you tied up in knots."

I could feel waves of embarrassment flow from the Jedi…and I couldn't help but add to his mortification. I jumped off the bed and pulled the door open far enough to see Solo. "You must be Han Solo." Skywalker sighed and gave up blocking the door, allowing it to swing open. I offered the smuggler my hand. "Hello, I'm Litassa Coley, Force-user, Imperial and, apparently, an expert knot tyer."

Solo gave me a lopsided grin as he reached out and clasped my hand. "It is so nice to finally meet you." He looked over to Skywalker and gave him a wide toothy smile. "Luke has told me so much about you."

"And he's told me a lot about you." I motioned him to enter the small room. "Come on in. I'd love to hear what you've discovered here in this smuggler haven."

I glanced over to Skywalker who had a long-suffering expression on his face. It was the look of a man who knew he was going to be taunted unmercifully in the future.

And after enduring Marta's embarrassing questions about the Jedi, all I can say is, _'Better him than me.'_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Entry 39**_

Solo entered with a smirk and sat down in the only chair in the room. I am sure it was a calculated move to force Skywalker and me to sit on the bed together. Obviously, Solo thought it would make us uncomfortable. His plan was working with Skywalker, but I jumped on the edge of the bed nonchalantly not wanting to give the smuggler any satisfaction.

"So, what did you find out Solo?"

Solo leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out. "Luke thought Inquisitors were at the pickup sites doing mind tricks on the navigators. I thought bribing the crew might be a more reasonable explanation. So, I talked to some of my smuggler buddies who I was positive wouldn't fall prey to bribery…you know…family operations." Solo paused and looked around the room. "Do you have anything to drink? Ale or whiskey."

"I'll buy you a damn drink when you finish your story," I said gruffly.

I expected Solo to get angry but he just guffawed and looked at Skywalker. "You like them feisty I see." He turned his attention to me and grinned. "There is no way of knowing for sure because of the mind wipes, but I found a number of family run smuggling operations who went on these missions to the unknown region. These are people I know personally. Most of the navigators are sons or daughters. They wouldn't take a bribe."

I leaned back on the bed. "So you think an Inquisitor is influencing the crew as Skywalker believes?"

Solo shrugged. "I don't know." He turned to the Jedi. "Didn't you always tell me that mind tricks only worked on the weak minded? These smugglers don't have weak minds."

Skywalker eventually sat on the corner of the bed. "Han, these are Inquisitors. They are trained to make people do things they won't want to."

Solo focused his attention on me. "Luke said you were an Inquisitor. Do you think you could make a person do something they don't want to?"

I nodded. "I am certain of my abilities."

Solo stood to face me. "Try it on me."

I frowned. "Try what on you?"

He put his arms akimbo striking a heroic pose. "Try to do a mind trick on me."

I sat up and grinned wickedly. "Okay, if you are asking for it."

Skywalker turned and put a hand out in warning. "Something not deadly."

Solo's eyes went wide, like he just realized I could have told him to shoot himself with a blaster. "Yeah, not deadly, but it has to be something that I wouldn't want to do. I need to be conflicted about doing it. That is what these smugglers would be thinking if they were given a Force suggestion by an Inquisitor."

I heaved a sigh as I thought of something distasteful but not deadly to suggest to Solo. "Fine." I stood and gazed at the smuggler intensely. "Slap your face."

I was amazed at the quickness and power that Solo executed the command. He went wide-eyed before he let out an astonished yelp. "Damn! You didn't have to make me do it so hard."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I didn't even mention how hard, I just told you to slap yourself."

To my great surprise the smuggler smacked himself again. "Stop that!" He screamed angrily.

I put my hands up in a disarming gesture. "Sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength when it comes to suggestions." I heard Skywalker behind me making some weird muffling sound. I turned and found him lying on the bed, his hands over his mouth and desperately trying to suppress his laughter.

Solo glared at his brother-in-law. "Don't laugh Junior. You've been under her spell for far longer than I have."

I rolled my eyes. "You still don't trust me? Do you think I am doing a Force mind-trick to bend Skywalker to my will?"

The smuggler smirked. "He may be bending to your will, but I don't think the Force has anything to do with it."

"Han, knock it off." The Jedi pointed to his brother-in-law then looked at me questioningly. "That is an impressive demonstration, but some of the ships took off over an hour after loading their cargo. Can a suggestion be time delayed?"

"There is only one way to find out. I'll put another suggestion in Solo's head and have him perform it an hour from now."

"Wait," Solo waved a hand in my direction. "How come I'm the person getting experimented on? Try it on Luke."

I shook my head. "He's a Jedi and can resist a Force suggestion. He's not a good subject for the experiment."

"Come on Han," Skywalker implored. "We won't make you do anything painful." He turned to me with a stern look. "Right?"

I blew out a frustrated breath. "Right. How about I suggest you go out, have some fun, and return here in an hour. At that time you hop up and down on one foot and proclaim loudly that you are pretty Hoojib."

Solo's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Is that all you are going to suggest? Not that I strip down and jump on one foot or that hop down the hallway chanting that I'm a hoojib."

"I promise. It will be done in this room with just me and Skywalker present."

Solo pointed a finger at his brother-in-law. "You make sure that is all she suggests."

"I will."

Solo turned back to me. "Okay, do it."

After Solo left I turned and smile widely at the Jedi. "You do have a holocam to record his return, don't you?"

He laughed. "Yes, yes I do." He rolled off the bed and stood, picking up a room service menu from the bedside table. "Have you eaten."

"No, and I'm famished."

We called in an order for food and then waited. Skywalker took the seat Solo vacated while I remained seated on the bed. "So you don't think Force suggestions will work on Force-users?"

I shrugged. "I think it depends on the strength of the Force user. You are extremely strong with the Force, but I doubt you can overcome my shielding abilities."

"Can we experiment?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "How so?"

"Can you see if you can make me do something I don't want to do?"

"Like what?"

He thought about it for a while. "Something simple. Have me take off my boots or something."

"That is not a good experiment. I doubt taking off your boots will cause you distress. Those Inquisitors were telling people to do things they would never have done if they weren't influenced."

"Well, suggest something you don't think I would want to do."

I scoffed. "You are far too trusting, Skywalker. You are opening yourself up for possible pain or embarrassment."

He gave me a soft smile. "No, I trust you."

"I don't know why. On our last mission, half the time you distrusted my intentions."

He blushed and averted his eyes. "Sometimes it is hard for me to trust. I have been betrayed more than once by people I believed were my friends." He stood and walked over to the bed, perching himself on a corner. "Go ahead. See if you can breach my defenses."

I thought about it for a while before acquiescing. I turned to face him fully. "Okay. Here it goes. Tell me, what did you tell Solo about me? He insinuated you expressed romantic feelings. What did you tell him?"

The Jedi's eyes widened and I could see him struggling not to answer. Finally he stammered out his response. "I told him I didn't feel so alone when around you. We both are Force users…we are alike. Being the lone Jedi makes me feel awkward around others. They are my friends, but I can sense they are self-conscious around me. I think they believe I can read their minds. They are amazed by my abilities, but at the same time fear the power of the Force. Most of my friends are my age. In their lifetime, the only Force users they knew were Vader, the Emperor and an occasional Inquisitor. I know people look at me and wonder if I will end up like those two…power hungry and evil."

He opened his mouth to say more, but I stopped him. "That's enough." I looked down, embarrassed. "I shouldn't have asked you that."

He turned away, a blush heating his skin. "That's okay. I'm glad you did. I'm not good at expressing my thoughts…especially to women. Maybe it is best that I got that out in the open."

"You won't end up like them," I whispered.

"How do you know?"

I gazed him in the eye. "Because I knew and worked with Vader and Palpatine. You are nothing like them. You shine in the Force. It is something pure and good. Your father and the Emperor had a dark aura around them. The Force was turbulent and it felt…it's hard to describe…but the Force felt foul and malevolent. I can't imagine your light ever being extinguished and replaced with that malignant darkness."

He gave me a boyish grin that made me feel uneasy. I was getting too close to this man. I sometimes wondered if he was unknowingly doing a mind-trick on me. Was my growing friendship with Skywalker coming out of something he desired and it was somehow being manifested and cultivated by the Force? Could I be under _his_ spell? I needed to know. Are my shields really strong enough to resist his will? He was stronger than Palpatine, that I am sure of, and the Emperor controlled me, used me. Was Skywalker subconsciously pulling me toward him? That would explain my inexplicable growing friendship with the Jedi.

Skywalker noticed a change in my mood and reached out, putting a reassuring hand on my knee. "What's wrong?"

I immediately scooted a few centimeters away from him and he pulled his hand back sheepishly. I turned to face him. "I was just wondering how powerful you are? Can you control me, just as I coerced you to speak now?"

He looked at me earnestly. "I would never do that."

"I know, but can you?" I squared my shoulders. "Try to do a Force suggestion on me…something I would never do willingly."

He looked at me confused. "I wouldn't know what to ask."

"Ask me to kiss you."

He laughed. "No, I'm not going to do that. You'll kill me if I succeed."

"You won't succeed."

His eyes narrowed and I knew he accepted my challenge. "Alright, but remember this is what you wanted." He scooted up a little closer and gazed at me intensely with those soft blue eyes. "Kiss me."

What happened next was frightening in its intensity. I didn't struggle; I didn't hesitate, but kissed him with an unbridled passion. Looking back at the incident I can remember Skywalker tensing, my lips muffling his yelp of surprise. My hands seemed to move at their own volition as they traveled down his muscular back before ending their journey on his firm backside. Eventually the Jedi was able to escape my embrace and yell, "Stop, stop!"

I remember sitting on the edge of the bed in shock. He was stronger in the Force than I could possibly imagine, but that wasn't what really bothered me. He told me to kiss him. I could have given him a peck on the cheek, but I planted a long, intense, open mouth kiss on the man and then proceeded to molest him. What the kriff was going on?!

I looked up at Skywalker who was now standing against the far wall looking very anxious. "I didn't want that to happen," he stuttered. "I mean, not that I wouldn't want that to happen, but not in this way. I'm so sorry."

I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn't. I asked him to try and he succeeded. Now I just needed to figure out if he was subconsciously sending me signals to desire him or did I deep down want to kiss Skywalker. Much of that heartfelt confession he said earlier mirrored my thoughts. I also was feeling alone and cut off from others because of my abilities. Nobody knew who I was, not Skywalker, not my commander. Only I knew I was really Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand and that was a secret I intended to take to my grave.

I felt so isolated and detached from others…but when I was with the Jedi…I too, didn't feel so alone. I looked up at him and smiled, trying to reassure him I wasn't going to kill him. "Don't worry. It's good to know one's limitations." There was a knock at the door. "That is probably dinner. Great because I'm starved."

As I rose to answer the door I noticed Skywalker's posture relaxing and a slight smile turning up the corner of his lips.

I had an urge to run away from the situation, but I resisted that impulse. I was tired of running…and I was tired of being alone.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Entry 40**_

We ate in relative silence…or I guess I should say, an awkward silence. We had pushed the room's small table next to the bed so I could use it as a seat and he pulled up the lone chair. He watched me quietly, stealing glances over the brim of his drinking glass, as I pretended not to notice.

Eventually the lack of conversation became too much. I set down my fork and stared at him. "Please stop feeling guilty over what happened. I underestimated your power in the Force. I won't do that again."

"I just feel bad…"

I put up a hand and halted his sentence. "Stop. Stop right there. We can't form a good working relationship if you are getting all uptight and awkward over a little kiss. It's not like you shot me with a blaster. We are both adults and it was just a kiss. Forget about it."

He took a long swig of his drink before gazing at me sadly. "Do I have to? Forget about it, that is."

I was shocked that he was hinting about a possible relationship. Or at least that is what I thought he was suggesting.

"It is best that you don't dwell on the possibilities. We can never have a relationship."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "Why not?"

"I hate to say it, but I don't think this treaty will last. And when it is broken we will once again be enemies. You won't join the Empire and I won't join the New Republic. We will always be on opposite sides of the conflict."

He glanced down at his plate as he speared some type of green vegetable. "We aren't enemies now."

I ran a hand through my dyed black hair. "No we aren't. We're friends. I would like to remain friends."

I know he was disappointed by my answer, but it was for the best. I needed a friend, not a romantic partner. I know Skywalker is a lovelorn Jedi, but I couldn't help him with that. I was lonely too, but I was also practical. Why begin something that would never last. Becoming friends was the best we could hope for.

Eventually a soft smile graced his lips. "Friends sounds good."

I returned his smile. "Good."

We returned to our meals and were having a fairly animated conversation about which star fighter was the best when Solo walked in, jumped up and down on one foot and declared, _"I'm a pretty hoojib."_

Skywalker and I started laughing, especially when Solo came out of his dazed state and glowered at us. He pointed to Luke. "You two better have kept your promise."

The Jedi put on his best innocent expression. "I swear, you didn't do anything but jump up and down and say you are a pretty hoojib." He held out a mini-datapad in his hand. "I got a holovid of the whole thing to prove it to you."

Solo's jaw dropped. "Oh no you didn't." He tried to grab it out of Skywalker's hand but the Jedi tossed it to me. When Solo tried to retrieve it out of my clutches I dropped it down the front of my tunic. Solo grimaced as he stood conflicted as to what to do. Eventually he leaned against the wall and glared at us. "I know reaching down a woman's tunic will get me a slap to the face." He pointed an accusing finger at me. "And with you…you would probably make me do the slapping."

"You are probably right, Solo."

Solo's defeated expression morphed into a devious grin as he pushed off the wall and moved to the door. "I'll let you two alone." He gave Skywalker a wink as he walked out the door. "You probably want to retrieve your datapad yourself."

Once Solo was gone, I retrieved the datapad and handed it to a blushing Skywalker. "Solo is so lucky that I never learned to Force choke."

He laughed. "He's the luckiest man I know." He gazed sadly at the door his friend just exited. "He has everything a man could want—a wife, child, friends…" The Jedi trailed off before returning his attention back to his meal. "Yeah, he's one lucky guy."

I took a sip of my drink silently agreeing with the Jedi. I finished my meal and wiped my face with a napkin as I stood. "If you don't have more information to share, I will get back to my headquarters."

"You just got here," Skywalker protested. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

"Why?"

Skywalker looked flummoxed by the question. "So we can…I don't know…plan our next move."

I shook my head. "There is no _next move_ when it comes to the Inquisitor situation. I need to report to my commander. I can't help you track down former Imperials without his permission and I am not going to ask him over the comms."

"Can't you stay for recreation? Just for a day or two. This world is beautiful."

"That sounds tempting, but I am part of a military organization. We can't just take leave without permission. Maybe if we meet again I can prearrange some time off."

I moved toward the door but he stopped me. "Wait!" He stood and picked up a small tote bag. He reached in and to my great surprise he pulled out a lightsaber. "I want you to have this."

I was stunned by the gift.

"Why?"

"On our last mission you mentioned you lost your lightsaber. I thought you would like a replacement."

I reached out and took the hilt from his hand to inspect it. I glanced up at him. "This isn't your lightsaber, is it?"

"No, I left mine on the Falcon. The proprietor of this establishment is a collector. I purchased it from her." He flashed a smile. "I thought in the future we might get a chance to spar. I need an opponent."

I ignited the saber and a red glowing blade appeared. I regarded Skywalker curiously. "You bought me a Sith lightsaber?"

His smile faded slightly. "Yes. I believe it belonged to an Inquisitor…it might actually be yours. I thought you would like it."

I deactivated the blade and checked the hilt for identifying marks. "It's not mine, but it is an Inquisitor blade."

He looked at me expectantly. "You don't want it?"

I gave a caustic laugh. "You do realize that if the treaty fails our sparring in the future might be to the death."

He smiled slightly, appearing completely unperturbed by the possibility. "Hopefully it'll never come to that."

"Thank you. I love it, but it is dangerous for me to keep. I'm trying to hide my past." I reached out for his hand and placed the lightsaber in his palm. "Hold it for me. The next time we're together, maybe we can spar." I held his hand for a long moment before I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Until we meet again Skywalker."


	25. Chapter 25

_**Entry 41**_

I reported back to my commander and he agreed with my decision to not help Skywalker identify the Inquisitors. He didn't care if they were picked up and questioned about the cargo going into the Unknown Regions, but Inquisitors might be privy to other classified Imperial information that we don't want to share with the New Republic. Commander Darten decided to send agents to the five cargo loading sites mentioned by Skywalker. They would recon and send back holovids of the cargo bay personnel in the hopes that I might recognize somebody.

 _ **Entry 42**_

Two months have past and the Empire is no closer to discovering the destination of those mysterious cargo shipments. We have put trackers on the ships, but they take multiple short jumps and eventually disappear into the unknown regions.

I did identify two Inquisitors from our agents' reconnaissance of the cargo distribution areas, but it was decided to not bring them in for questioning yet. Instead we have them under surveillance. Unfortunately, they never leave the planet and a tap on their communications came up with nothing useful. These men must be communicating with their headquarters somehow. I know they are Force-users but I doubt they are exchanging information the same way Palpatine and I kept in contact. To project thoughts over the vastness of space requires an extremely powerful Force-user. Most Inquisitors had an average grasp of the Force, therefore, the person contacting them would have to be a as strong in the Force as Palpatine. I highly doubt there is anybody in the galaxy with that much power…with the exception of Skywalker, of course.

In the meantime, I have been assigned various missions to weed out corruption within the Empire. It is a job very similar to the one I once held as Emperor's Hand except I leave the punishment part to the Imperial justice system.

* * *

 _ **[Two Years After the Battle of Endor]**_

* * *

 _ **Entry 43**_

I have become concerned about reports of child abductions. I contacted Skywalker and he confirmed that slaving operations are active in the New Republic. They are cracking down on the activity, but it still persists.

The Jedi asked to meet. I told him without a legitimate reason to rendezvous I cannot justify a mission.

 _ **Entry 44**_

Damn that Skywalker. The Empire and New Republic are conducting an economic summit next month and for some reason I've been invited. If Skywalker got somebody in the New Republic to request my presence by name I can kiss my new career as an intelligence officer goodbye. There would be too many questions as to why a lowly Lieutenant was invited.

 _ **Entry 45**_

I contacted Skywalker and he denies making an official request for my presence. Later I discovered New Republic issued an open invitation to General Officers and their staff. General Iwanuk, the commander of the Imperial Intelligence and Security Command, requested a top intelligence field agent to accompany him. I was chosen because of my previous joint mission with Skywalker. My superiors believe the Jedi will be in attendance and I am expected to cozy up to Skywalker and spy on the man and his comrades. I am positive Commander Darten highly recommended me for the mission.

 _ **Entry 46**_

One nice thing about traveling with a General is the first-class transportation. We voyaged to Naboo in a _Lambda_ -class T-4a shuttle provided by the Empire's Diplomatic service. I honestly don't know why the summit is held on Palpatine's homeworld of Naboo. Maybe it is something symbolic.

I accompanied the General to Theed, the planet's capital city, and to the Royal Palace of the House of Naboo, which is an amazingly beautiful and lavishly ornate stone building surrounded by waterfalls. Today the general and I would attend a social meet-and-greet prior to the commencement of official negotiations tomorrow morning. We were dressed in our finest Imperial evening white mess uniforms used only for formal, and usually diplomatic, functions. Of course, a lowly lieutenant doesn't have half the regalia worn by a general officer. General Iwanuk had gold tasseled epaulets, a blue and grey shoulder sash (representing the Intelligence corps colors), a highly shined black leather belt and two code cylinders in a pocket next to his blue and red rank insignia. I was wearing the women's Imperial Evening Mess uniform, which consisted of a waist length white coat over a frilled white shirt and an ankle length black skirt. Of course all weapons were forbidden and all guests were scanned at the door. I felt naked without a blaster, but all in attendance were assured the Royal Palace Guards were more than capable of providing security.

Once inside we went through an official receiving line populated by high-ranking New Republic and Imperial leaders. Princess Leia was there along with her overly sarcastic husband. I introduced myself to the princess and immediately got a reaction out of her. Her eyes went wide and then narrowed as she scrutinized me like a Teke bug under a microscope. I could sense her mistrust. I don't blame her. I kidnapped her brother and turned him over to the Empire. Her husband had a very different reaction. He grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. He then cocked his head to his right and said, "He's at the end of the line."

I inwardly groaned knowing 'he' could only mean Skywalker. When I got to his position the Jedi smiled so widely I thought his cheek muscles might cramp. He was wearing a tan New Republic dress uniform with the rank of …general. "You're a general?"

He looked down at his uniform sheepishly. "It was an somewhat honorary promotion given to me after the Battle of Endor. I never truly served as a general officer. Soon after my promotion, I officially retired and resigned my commission to pursue Jedi training. I'm still authorized to wear the uniform for official state functions, though." He raked his gaze across my outfit. "That uniform is very flattering, Lieutenant." He smiled warmly. "It's so good to see you again Litassa. I'll be done here in a half hour…then perhaps we can talk."

I looked over to General Iwanuk on my left. "I don't think so. I'm acting as an aide-de-camp."

The general obviously was eavesdropping because he turned to me and said, "Lieutenant Coley, I think I can make due without you. You and the Jedi should have some fun."

"Yes, sir." I said tersely.

Skywalker was now beaming. "Good. Meet me at the main balcony in a half hour."

A half hour later we were standing on the balcony overlooking a deep gorge surrounded by waterfalls. Skywalker turned to me while leaning on the balcony's stone balustrade. "I'm so glad you came."

I had to chuckled at that comment. "I am here to spy on you, Skywalker."

He laughed along with me. "I know. I'm supposed to keep a watch on the Imperials." He grinned boyishly. "My superiors didn't specify _'which'_ Imperial so I decided to concentrate all my efforts on you."

"Lucky me," I responded caustically.

He looked back to the large ballroom that the balcony jutted off from. "Do you want to dance?"

"I guess I have to. I wouldn't look like I am doing my job if I didn't stay close to you tonight."

He smiled widely as he grabbed my hand in his and led me out to the dance floor. The orchestra was playing a classic melody intended for slow dancing, so I leaned into the Jedi, putting my arms up and around his neck. I felt him tense upon contact, but eventually he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I hope the treaty lasts forever," he whispered. "I can get to like this."

"I guess it beats waking up stuncuffed and lying on the floor of a seedy hotel room," I remarked, referring to the day I captured him.

He laughed softly. "I don't know. Admittedly, I didn't like the stunbolt hangover, but it was the first day we officially met, so it wasn't all that bad."

I had to roll my eyes at Skywalker's not so subtle attempt at flirtation. "You are terrible at seduction. If I were you I would stick to the charming naïve farm boy angle."

He leaned back and looked deep into my eyes. "So you admit I'm charming?"

I audibly groaned. "I guess I walked into that one, didn't I?"

He leaned into my embrace and whispered. "Yes you did, but I will take your advice and remain charming."

I was about to make a smart mouth comment when I sensed a spike of danger through the Force. Skywalker must have sensed it also because he stepped back and looked around anxiously. "Where's it coming from?"

I looked up as a shadow passed over the palace's large stained glass domed ceiling. "We need to evacuate everybody."

Skywalker grabbed a comlink out of his jacket pocket and shouted some orders. Meanwhile I looked for a fire alarm along the surrounding walls. When I spotted one I used the Force to activate the warning claxons. When the alarm sounded the dignitaries in the room hesitated and looked about for somebody to tell them what to do.

"Everybody evacuate," I bellowed in my best official voice as Skywalker did the same.

An explosion interrupted the slow progression of people exiting the building as glass and rubble rained down from the ceiling above. At that point everybody went into full blown panic mode as guests trampled each other in their effort to escape. The situation worsened when a group of aliens rappelled into the room from a jumpship hovering above. I searched for the palace security but saw none. I turned to Skywalker, "Do you have a weapon".

He shook his head, "No, but I can get us some fighting staffs." He reached out a hand and called two flagpoles from the far wall. He stripped off the flag and handed me the two-meter hardwood pole. "We just need to hold them off until the guests escape and security gets here."

By now the intruders were firing their blasters into the crowd. Skywalker could openly use the Force, but I had to be a little subtler in its use. I ran toward an angry looking Barabel who was unloading a stream of blasterfire at the exits. I brought up the staff and with a Force-enhance swing, made contact with the alien's head. There was a sickening crack as my weapon connected with his cranium and for a moment I thought I broke my staff, but it remained intact. The creature stumbled around in a daze, but surprisingly didn't fall. I spun around and swung the weapon into the creatures face. There was a splatter of blood and this time the assailant went down. I turned to the Jedi who was using the Force to propel his opponents into the far walls. This left me with one motley looking Rodian to contend with. He aimed his blaster in my direction and fired. I cursed the fact that I could wield the staff like a lightsaber, but there is no way the hardwood could deflect blasterbolts. I had no choice but to use a skill taught to me long ago by the Emperor. I slowed the blasterbolts slightly giving me enough time to roll out of the way. I probably could have halted them in midair, but that would be hard to explain. Eventually we disabled the attackers and moved to the exit before Skywalker skidded to a stop and looked around frantically. "Leia, I can't sense Leia!"

I reached out with the Force and could feel Han Solo's absolute panic, but I didn't sense the Jedi's sister.

"Oh no," Skywalker moaned as he rushed out of the building. I stood in the room for a moment wondering if I should look for my commanding General, but decided to follow Skywalker.

We found a bloody and injured Solo outside screaming into a comlink for somebody to fire up the Falcon. When he noticed Skywalker he screamed over the commotion of the crowd. "Luke! They got her! They got Leia!"


	26. Chapter 26

_**Entry 47**_

I should have realized earlier that the attack in the ballroom was a diversion. The assailants could have lobbed thermal detonators into the room and killed everybody, but they instead crashed through the glass roof, shooting erratically and causing as much commotion possible. During the melee the princess was snatched.

"Who has Leia, Solo?" I asked as I scanned the streets for the missing princess.

The smuggler didn't immediately answer, but started limping toward a landing field used by the various summit dignitaries. "Two Ithorians and a Dug snatched her while a very pissed off Fosh and an ugly looking Harch decided to pound me with their many fists." Solo activated his comlink and yelled into it. "Chewie, be ready to go when I get there."

"Go where, Han?" Luke asked.

Solo wiped blood out of his eyes from a nasty cut above his brow. "I saw the ship she was dragged aboard. It was a blue and white T-6 shuttle. Maybe we can intercept it before it gets to a hyperspace lane."

When we arrived to Solo's ship I stopped. Luke turned and looked at me expectantly. "Are you coming?"

I shook my head. "I can't abandon my General."

"Call him and get permission to come with us." Skywalker insisted.

When I pulled out my comlink to do so, Solo yelled at me, "Get aboard and call him from orbit."

"That sort of defeats the purpose of asking for permission," I pointed out.

"Haven't you ever heard of the saying, ' _It easier to get forgiven than get permission_ ," Solo yelled heatedly. "Come on, we're wasting time."

I was ready to turn around and return to the scene of the attack, but Skywalker grabbed my hand and began pulling me up the freighter's ramp. I gave a halfhearted protest before accompanying the Jedi. If my superiors gave me any grief over this decision, I would remind them I was ordered to keep Skywalker under surveillance.

Once on the ship I was greeted by a large and very agitated Wookiee who made a series of animated grunts and growls before grabbing Solo around the waist and practically dragging the man to the cockpit.

"Get us in the air, Chewie!" I heard Solo order the hairy creature as Skywalker and I followed them down the corridor.

Before we reached the ship's flight deck, Skywalker pulled me aside and pointed to transceiver in the crew section of the ship. "You can call your general from there. I'm going to make sure Han's alright." I gave a curt nod before settling down in the seat in front of the communication center.

It took a few minutes, but eventually General Iwanuk answered my comm and I explained the situation. I was surprised when the General Iwanuk ordered me to, _'Get those bastards. I don't need the New Republic thinking the Empire is in anyway responsible for this attack.'_

"Can the Naboo Planetary Defense Force put up a blockade to stop ships from leaving the planet?"

"No need, Moff Nagen's fleet was a short jump away. During the attack he ordered them to cordon off the planet. Nobody will get through."

That comment made me cringe. First there is an attack on the trade summit and then suddenly there is an Imperial fleet blockading the planet. Hopefully General Iwanuk and Moff Nagen can calm everybody's nerves and reassure all involved that the Empire was not involved in this crisis.

"Can you talk to Moff Nagen and ask him not to fire on any outgoing ships. I know that at least one dignitary, Princess Leia Organa Solo, was abducted by the assailants. There could be more. The terrorists escaped with the princess aboard a blue and white T-6 shuttle."

"Affirmative," the general responded. "I'll disseminate that information to all involved. We'll find them."

I cut communications and wandered up to the flight deck where Solo and the Wookiee were finishing up their pre-flight checks. The smuggler turned to me and threw a thumb in the direction of Skywalker who was sitting an uncomfortable looking navigation seat behind the copilot. "Take a seat next to Luke and hold on."

I was barely seated before Solo's ship jerked upwards and then shot off in what I thought would be an impossible amount of acceleration for a beat up old freighter. As I tightened down my crash webbing I heard a buzzing of my comlink in my side pocket. I pulled it out and answered. "Coley, here."

"Lieutenant," I heard my general's voice. "A blue and white T-6 shuttle was spotted by Nagen's fleet. It is about thirty-five kilometers west of the attack site. It looked like it is headed to the town of Wesnorli."

"Thank you, sir." I repeated the information to Solo who immediately put us into a stomach turning barrel roll followed by two totally unnecessary aileron rolls before we even out and headed west.

"The New Republic captured a couple of the terrorists and they are attempting to interrogate them for information," the general continued. "I'm going to give them a few more minutes before I request to take over. I don't think the New Republic has the intestinal fortitude to do what needs to be done."

"Torture," I heard Skywalker whisper under his breath. I gave him a sidelong glance and witnessed his look of disapproval.

He may not like the idea of torturing prisoners, but I am positive he dislikes the idea of his sister getting slaughtered by some lunatics even more. "Sir, would you like me to return and assist you?"

I heard the general chuckle. "That's right, you're too young to know my reputation. The Mandalorians had a nickname for me, _Kyramud_. I liked it so much that I kept it as my official code name."

My grasp of the Mandalorian language was tentative, but I understood that word. "Assassin." I swallowed a lump in my throat when I realized whom I was dealing with. The agent known by the code name Kyramud was Palpatine's leading interrogator. He worked in the Imperial Security Bureau's Interrogations Branch. "Your reputation is legendary, sir, and crosses all generational boundaries. I just didn't know Kyramud and General Iwanuk were one-and-the-same."

"Well, now you know. Don't worry. I'll get the terrorists talking…when the New Republic gives up _interviewing_ the perpetrators, that is."

"Yes, sir."

The general signed off leaving me shaken. Agent Kyramud worked closely with Imperial Internal Affairs. If anybody knew about the existence of the Emperor's Hand it would be that organization. I can only hope that the Emperor kept my true vocation a secret. Most people within the Imperial court thought I was one of the palace dancers. The Inquisitors sensed my power in the Force and assumed I was the Emperor's personal Inquisitor and spy. Nobody truly knew the close association I had with Palpatine—that I was an extension of his will. Of course, if General Iwanuk did know, he's known for at least a year. If he planned on doing something he would have done so already.

"Is something wrong?" Skywalker asked.

I turned to him and shook my head. "No, we'll find your sister." I looked down as my stained and bloodied formal uniform and frowned. "Do you have something for me to change into? An ankle length dress and shoes with three centimeter heels isn't the best fighting outfit."

The Jedi unbuckled his crash webbing and stood. "Sure, you look about my sister's height and weight." He turned to his brother-in-law. "Han, can I go into your cabin and grab one of Leia's outfits for Litassa to wear?"

The smuggler didn't look away from the viewport but simply nodded.

"Come on," Skywalker muttered as I stood. "I'll show you to their cabin."


	27. Chapter 27

_**Entry 48**_

It took me a while to find an outfit that fit me. It appears that most of the clothing stored in Solo's ship consisted of Leia's old maternity outfits. Eventually I found a pre-pregnancy tan jumpsuit to wear and a pair of boots that were only slightly tight. While I got dressed Skywalker was scrounging up a blaster for me to use. When I exited Solo's cabin the Jedi tried to hand me two weapons—a blaster with holster and the Sith lightsaber he purchased a few weeks ago.

I shook my head when he tried to give me the Inquisitor's weapon. "I can't be seen using that. I'll take the blaster and a vibroblade if you have one."

He nodded. "Han should have one somewhere." He set the lightsaber down an a nearby console before hitching up and tightening his own blaster belt snug on his hips and making sure his lightsaber was secure. "Any idea who or what we're dealing with?"

"No," I said softly. "But, I don't think it's whoever is in the unknown region. They seem to prefer humans…like the Empire. Could it be somebody within the New Republic? Perhaps somebody who has a disagreement with your sister or your government."

Skywalker made a face. "There are a lot of people who despise our treaty with the Empire. Many people think this is a ploy by your government to make us complacent so you can regroup and then eventually destroy us." He gazed at me quizzically, as if he wanted me to deny or confirm that belief.

I shrugged noncommittally as I buckled on my blaster. "Don't look at me. For all I know both of our governments are using the treaty to regroup."

"Hey, Litassa!" I heard Solo yell from the flight deck. "Did your people say where in Wesnorli we could find the T-6?"

I wandered into the cockpit and leaned over Solo's chair and gazed out to the ground below. We were now circling a small city located in a lush green valley and surrounded by steep, snow-covered peaks.

"No, but I'll see if there is more information." I pulled my comlink out of my pocket and clicked it on. I had slaved it to the Falcon's communications system earlier so I could contact my superiors over long distances. "General Iwanuk, this is Lieutenant Colay, are you there?"

There was a slight pause before the general answered. "I hear you Lieutenant. I assume you want to know where to find Princess Leia. Just give me a minute and I should have that information."

What I heard next was a blood-curling scream. It was so horrifying that Solo, Skywalker and the Wookiee all turned to my direction wide-eyed.

"Give me a minute," I said before I muted the volume on my comlink and walked to the back of the ship for some privacy. Skywalker tried to follow but I waved him off with a stern look. When I was alone I toggled up the volume and put the communications device to my ear. I could hear General Iwanuk asking for the location of the princess, but the only response I heard were screams and moans from the prisoner. Eventually there was a lull and the soft sobs of some poor creature. "Colay, are you there?"

"Yes sir."

"It appears this is the work of some new upstart terrorist organization called the _Alien Alliance League_. It is an anti-human organization whose goal is to abduct human members of the current New Republic government and demand they be replaced with nonhuman members. If their demands are met they will release their prisoner. It appears they believe the current government is too human-centric. I am sending you the coordinates to what my prisoner identified as a safe house. There is a good possibility you will find the princess at that location."

I looked down at my comlink as an address scrolled across the small readout on the side. "Thank you, sir."

"No problem at all. It's good to get back in practice."

A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined him blood splattered and smiling while saying those words. "Thank you again, Sir. Colay, out."

I tapped a button on my comlink and sent the information to Solo's transmission link as I walked back to the flight deck. "Solo, I sent you a location where you wife might be located."

The smuggler looked to his ship computer. "Got it." he muttered before the ship jerked to the side and off in another direction.

I steadied myself before sitting down next to Skywalker. He looked troubled, but at the same time relieved.

As for me, I was just confused. I didn't hear the prisoner respond to the general's questioning. All I could make out were screams, but General Iwanuk inferred that he had just gained the information from the man. Perhaps the general had a map in front of the prisoner so he could point out the location. I wish I knew how he managed to get the terrorist to talk so quickly. I could ask him, but I doubt I would get an answer. From what I remember, the infamous agent Kyramud never revealed his interrogation techniques and any prisoner he questioned disappeared from the Imperial Security Bureau, never to be seen again. I heard a rumor that the re-education division would take these prisoners and, via pharmaceutical conditioning, brainwash them into serving the Empire. That was just a rumor though; I think it was more likely they went to an Imperial labor camp.

Whatever he did, it was quick and effective.

"Solo," I said as I secured my crash webbing. "The prisoner gave my commander the location of the organization's safe house. There hasn't been a confirmed sighting of your wife at that location and we don't know who or what is inside. So please don't rush in with blasters blazing."

"Don't worry Lieutenant. I'm not going to do anything to endanger Leia. We'll land nearby and recon the area before doing an entry and extraction."

I was somewhat relieved to hear the smuggler talk like a man with military experience. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Solo was wearing military trousers with Corellian Blood Stripe piping down the sides. That was a distinction of heroism and valor.

As he looked for a landing zone I briefed my companions about the _Alien Alliance League._

Solo huffed. "The New Republic has a hell of a lot more non-human representatives than the Empire. Why don't they demand the same representation from your government?"

I chuckled. "Because they know we don't negotiate with terrorists. Also, they probably realize that if we did negotiate we wouldn't honor any agreement. We'd select non-humans to positions of power and when we get our prisoners back we would probably kill the alien representatives and then hunt down the terrorists and destroy their entire organization." I glanced over to Skywalker. "Your government is kinder and gentler than the Empire and that works to your disadvantage."

Skywalker ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed. "Luckily we have your intelligence bureau to torture information out of prisoners."

I was about to make a scathing retort when Solo interrupted our conversation. "Luke, would you mind not irritating the woman who may have just saved Leia's life."

The Jedi looked away shamefaced as he blew out a breath. "Sorry. I should be grateful." He turned toward me in his seat and handed me a vibroblade. "Here. It's Chewie's, so it has a little longer blade than most vibroblades."

"Thanks."

Solo pointed out of the cockpit viewport. "There! Chewie, set us down in that field."

I glanced over to Skywalker who had a grim look of determination on his face. I reached over and grasped his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry. We'll find her."

He smiled sadly. "I know. Together we'll find her."

I gave the Jedi my best reassuring smile. I was confident we would discover her whereabouts…just hope that we found her alive.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Entry 49**_

We landed on the outskirts of the town and quickly made our way to the address given to me by General Iwanuk. We reconnoitered the safe house from a block away, peering around a corner building. I motioned toward the two-story structure that might hold the princess. "There is a guard on the roof. It looks like a Yuzzem carrying a T-21 light repeating blaster, possibly Imperial issue."

The Wookiee made a barking sound. Solo nodded at his companion. "I see it Chewie." He turned to Skywalker and me. "Chewie says there are security cams at the front of the building. It's going to be hard to sneak up on them."

I scrutinized the cameras for a minute. "I can temporarily blank them out with the Force."

Skywalker's brow went up when I said that. "You can?"

I nodded. "Remind me to teach you how sometime. Anyway, I can temporarily disable the cameras. It will just show up as static and probably won't make them too suspicious if we move quickly. That leaves the sentry on the roof." I pulled up the hood of a jacket I borrowed from Solo. It was baggy, but it hid my blaster and vibroblade. "I'm going to get a closer look."

I went to step out from around the building, but Skywalker grabbed my elbow. "Wait, we'll all go."

I scoffed at the man's naiveté. "You do realize you are the most recognizable man in the galaxy and Solo with his Wookiee sidekick really don't blend in well. Don't worry; I'm just going to get a look. Meanwhile, reach out with the Force and try to locate your sister. It will be a waste of time if we break in and she's at another locale."

Skywalker thankfully agreed. I casually sauntered down the sidewalk, occasionally stopping to look into store windows. I wasn't window-shopping, but using the reflective properties of the transparasteel to visualize the safe house without actually looking directly at it. It was a Yuzzem on the roof…, which isn't good. They are huge furry humanoids with thick muscles, long snouts and black eyes. It was rumored that they are distant relatives of Wookiees…taller and much more muscular relatives. They were often used as guards since they are almost impossible to subdue when it came to hand-to-hand. They were also immune to stunbolts and it would take at least two or three lethal blaster bolts to kill one of those creatures. They were the perfect sentries…unless you knew their weaknesses. There weren't many, but I did know how to bring one of those monsters down.

There was a narrow alley separating the safe house from the adjacent building. If I could get on the roof of the other building I could easily make the jump between rooftops. Another option was to climb the wall. It looked a little too far apart to do a back-to-foot chimney climb, but I could easily do a full body wall climb (one foot and hand on each building wall and utilizing opposing forces to ascend). Also, with the use of the Force, I could easily do a modified corner wall run by leaping from wall to wall in an upward angle. I decided that is what I was going to do. I would blank the security cams, run up the wall, and take out the sentry. I would then contact Skywalker and assist in the extraction. I toggled my comlink. "Luke…is your sister inside?"

"Yes, she's in the rear of the building." I could hear the raw emotion in his voice. "She's in pain."

"Give me a minute. I'm going to take out the guard on the roof." Before he could protest I deactivated my comlink. I waited until the sentry was looking away from my location before I sprinted across the street while blanking out the cameras. When I got to the alley I sprang up, planting a foot on one wall and pushing off toward the adjacent wall in an upward leap. I did the same when I touched the other side until I quietly landed on the rooftop. I don't think the Yuzzem heard me, but his head jerked up as he sniffed the air. I silently chastised myself for forgetting the creature's long snout gave them an incredible sense of smell. He continued to sniff the air before he began to turn in my direction. I couldn't beat this alien in a fair fight; I knew I had to use the Force to defeat him. I threw out my hand, using the Force to freeze him in place, and quickly moved forward while activating my vibroblade. I could feel the Yuzzem struggle to move and it took every bit of Force strength to keep him in position long enough to move along side him and slide the oversized blade between his fourth and fifth rib, puncturing his heart. He tried to scream, but I paralyze his vocal cords along with his muscles. I never liked this Force skill. It seemed especially cruel to render a person completely vulnerable and unable to defend himself before killing them. If he could have been stunned, I would have done that, but he couldn't and therefore I had limited options.

The Yuzzem coughed up blood and made a soft gasping sound as I slowly lowered him to the ground. When I was sure he was dead, I ran to the front of the building and gave Skywalker a wave before reactivating my comlink. "Took out the sentry. I'm going to neutralize the security cams now, so go!"

I used the Force to temporarily shut down the cameras as Luke, Solo and the Wookiee ran to the building. I climbed down from the roof as the rescue team entered the alley.

Luke pointed to the rear of the building. "I sense Leia back there, but most of the terrorists are in the front area."

Solo pulled out his blaster as his sidekick cradled a crossbow type of blaster in his arms. "Chewie and I will enter through the back. You and Luke go to the front and cause a diversion."

As Solo and the Wookiee ran to the rear of the building, I took a second to talk to the Jedi. "I say we blow the door open and you enter with your lightsaber since it can deflect blaster bolts. I will come in behind with my blaster."

He nodded. "Sounds good."

I once again blanked out the security cameras as we positioned ourselves at the front door.

"Push the door on three," Skywalker whispered. "One, two, three."

Skywalker and I projected such a strong Force shove that the entire door tore off its hinges and propelled itself into the interior with enough force to take out half the aliens inside. Skywalker activated his lightsaber illuminating the room in a green glow. I could see a Dug and Ranat raise their blasters and fire. Skywalker easily deflected the shots back to where they originated. The Dug screamed as a blaster bolt tore off half his shoulder. I aimed and stunned the short, rodent-like Ranat. He went down in a heap. I then stunned the Dug to stop his screaming.

Skywalker walked around the room ensuring it was clear before heading down the hall where we heard a Wookiee howling in anger. We entered a bedroom strewn with trash and an old, stained mattress on the floor. In the corner of the room was a mortally wounded Harch. The large spider-like creature was missing two of his eight limbs and was quickly bleeding out a pale blue hemolymph. Next to him, on the floor, was Princess Leia, unconscious and bloodied.

Solo was looking frantic as he cradled his wife in his arms. "If they were trying to negotiate, why hurt her?!"

I knelt down next to the couple. "Let me check on the wounds." I lifted up the skirt of her dress and could see blood running down her legs, but I couldn't find any obvious injuries. It looks like she was hemorrhaging. My gaze shot up to Solo. "Was Leia pregnant again?"

"What?" He looked completely confused by that statement before he closed his eyes and said in a broken voice, "She said she had a surprise for me. She was going to tell me after the summit." He gazed at Luke and then me. "Can you tell? Was she pregnant?"

I put my hand on her belly and reached out with the Force. I couldn't sense anything but the princess. If she was pregnant, that was no longer the case. "I don't know," I said truthfully.

I looked over to the Jedi who shook his head sadly. "I thought I sensed something different with my sister this morning. She was so happy, but she wouldn't tell me what was going on. She said she had to tell Han first."

Luke and I rose when we heard movement from the other room. I walked to the entrance and found the Dug trying to escape. Unfortunately for him, a Dug walks on his hands and therefore a damaged shoulder made movement excruciating slow and painful. I grabbed him by the front of his tunic, lifted him off the ground, and tossed him onto a nearby chair.

I noticed a few bystanders peaking in the doorframe where the door once was. I pointed my blaster at them and gestured for them to keep moving. As Luke came up behind me I could sense a whirlwind of dark emotion emanating from the Jedi. "They hurt my sister and killed her baby."

I hate to admit it, but Skywalker was starting to scare me. That bright beacon of the Force had dimmed and darkness was rushing in. When his Force signature took on a hint of Vader, I knew he was losing control. I quickly positioned myself between him and the Dug as he activated his lightsaber. "Stop! Stop, Luke! This is not going to make things better."

"He killed her baby!" The words came out in a sob.

I slowly reached out and grasped the hilt of his saber. "Luke, can't you feel the darkside? You can't kill a wounded sentient in cold blood. The only way you can do it is by drawing from the darkside of the Force. It isn't in your nature to kill for revenge. You don't want to become another Darth Vader."

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he gave a sullen nod of his head. "You're right. I can't do it." He deactivated his saber and let me take it from his hand.

I stepped back and blew out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry about the baby."

Before I could say more the Dug behind me chuckled merrily. "Good, the baby's dead. It is one less human oppressor in this galaxy."

That was probably the worse thing for the fool to say. I ignited Skywalker's lightsaber and did a backhand swing that separated the Dug's head from his shoulders. I then deactivated the weapon and handed it back to Skywalker. "You can't do it without touching the darkside…but I can. I was the Emperor's experiment…neither light or dark, but indifferent." I pulled out my comlink and called for an air ambulance for our location.

Skywalker looked to the decapitated Dug on the floor and then back to me. He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and remained silent.

I shook my head. "Skywalker. You have idealized me. You want me to be your Jedi apprentice, but this…" I gestured to the deceased Dug. "This is what I was trained to do. I can't be like you with some overachieving moral compass and dreams of becoming the guardian of justice and peace in the galaxy. It's not in my nature."

He looked down and then back up to me. "You're not evil Litassa."

"I know that…but I'm not like you." I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Luke, we're not the same and we will always be on different sides of the war."

"We're not at war," Skywalker pointed out.

"Not now. Even if the treaty holds, there will always be mistrust between our two governments."

He started to say something, but instead blew out a frustrated breath. "I'm going to check on my sister." He turned and moved down the hallway, leaving me standing next to a headless Dug and a stunned Ranat.

There was the wail of sirens as the ambulance arrived. I moved out of the way and allowed the medical personnel and local police to enter the scene. I guess the local authorities were apprised of the situation since I wasn't cuffed and hauled off in a police speeder. I leaned against the wall and watched and waited. That's all I could do for now.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Entry 50**_

The remainder of the day was interesting. The New Republic interviewed me first and then I debriefed General Iwanuk. The general conducted my debriefing in a small conference room in the Naboo palace, making sure he first swept the room for covert listening devices. Once satisfied we couldn't be heard, he motioned for me to sit at the room's conference table. He leaned back in his chair as he ran a hand over his closely cropped gray hair as he gazed at me with unflinching directness…which made me a bit nervous.

When we first met, I viewed him as a grandfatherly senior officer…a bureaucratic staff officer simply counting down to his days to retirement. Now I knew better. This was not a paper pushing desk-jockey; this was agent Kyramud—a legendary Imperial interrogator.

I debriefed the general giving him a skewed version of the truth. I said Skywalker assisted me greatly via the use of the Force. He blanked out the cameras, he helped me get to the roof, he assisted me in taking out the sentry, he blasted open the doors before deflecting blasterbolts with his lightsaber and decapitating the Dug. It grated on my nerves that he gets the glory, but I can't risk my identity or abilities becoming known. I knew there was no way in the Galaxy that the general would believe I took out an armed Yuzzem with a vibroblade without help. The hand-to-hand combat course that my alias, Litassa Colay, attended during Imperial basic training was good, but not that good.

As he typed in some notes on his datapad, I allowed my gaze to shift from his steel gray eyes to his soot covered white dress uniform that surprisingly lacked any blood splatter. After hearing the screams of his prisoner I expected his uniform to be as red as an Imperial Guard's. He glanced up from his datapad and noticed me staring at his clothing. He looked down at his uniform and frowned as he attempted to brush off some of the grime. "This uniform cost me eight hundred credits…damn aliens." He put down his datapad and gave a good-natured grin. "Skywalker is a _truly_ impressive Jedi. He levitated you to the roof before he subdued a Yuzzem with the Force allowing you to take out the alien quietly with a vibroblade. He then blasted open the door to the safe house and dispatch the terrorists singlehandedly."

"I did stun the Ranat," I pointed out though gritted teeth.

"Skywalker was luckily to have you there," he said with more than a hint of teasing in his voice.

I shifted in my seat uncomfortable with the conversation. "I also helped take out the terrorists that dropped into the ballroom."

The general's smile widened. "I saw that. I was able to review the ballroom's security vids. I was impressed with your fighting abilities and that holovid feed greatly eased the New Republic's suspicions. I'm sure some people were disappointed that they couldn't find a way to blame the evil Empire for the situation, but it was clearly the work of non-human agitators."

He leaned forward in his chair. "I watched how you and Skywalker interact. He is clearly interested in you for some reason." He looked me up and down and barely suppressed a smirk. "Of course it might simply be raging Jedi hormones, but I suspect he has something else in mind when it comes to you."

I tried to look nonplussed by the conversation. "Do you think he is trying to get Intelligence information out of me?"

"Possibly, but our research on the man indicates he doesn't have a background in intelligence."

I coughed trying to hide a laugh. "True, he doesn't seem too bright."

He chuckled at the comment. "But _you_ have an intelligence background, albeit you're not one of our most experienced agents, but you are obviously one of the most competent." He put his hands on the table in front of him and interlaced his fingers. "Lieutenant Colay, would you like to be assigned to the New Republic's Capital on Chandrila as an emissary for the Empire? I want to keep an eye on the New Republic and you appear to have a connection to the NR leadership via Skywalker. It would require us cutting you out of intelligence briefings during the interim. Just as a precaution. He is a Jedi and he might know how to drag information out of your mind using the Force. We don't want him using his skills on you and gaining vital intelligence."

I blinked at the general a few times. That wasn't a skill known to me. The Emperor could pop into my head, but I never seen him or Vader interrogate anybody in that manner. "I didn't know that was possible."

General Iwanuk smiled slightly. "It is an uncommon Force skill, but very possible."

I thought about the prisoner he interrogated so thoroughly and my eyes widened in thought. "Sir, are you an Inquisitor?"

He laughed with a shake of his head. "No, an inquisitor has to be strong in all aspects of the Force and that's not me. The Moffs may have disbanded the Inquisitorius, but throughout the Empire there remains countless members of the military who possess either weak Force abilities or, in my case, a strong Force talent in an extremely narrow spectrum. I have the gift of interrogation and only that." He smiled slightly. "No spoon bending for me."

I blew out a nervous breath. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Like I said, I want you to keep an eye on the New Republic…but I don't need the Jedi probing your brain. I am going to teach you a defense to that technique. A way to guard your thoughts."

I was nervous over what the instruction entailed. It was a skill I wanted to learn, but could the General see my thoughts during the training? What if he discovered my secrets?

"You seem nervous," he pointed out with a frown.

"No, I just don't think I have any Force abilities," I lied hoping the man didn't pull the truth out of me.

He nodded in understanding. "One doesn't need to be a Force-sensitive. Obviously, the technique is much more effective if you do have Force-abilities, but I have taught agents who possess no such capabilities. It is a meditative technique that makes people a less weak-minded." He looked at me expectantly. "What do you say?"

I was anxious as to what the general could glean from my mind while training, but if I refused he might get suspicious and pull the information out of my head anyway. "Yes, I would like to learn that particular skill."

* * *

 _ **Entry 51**_

The general and I have been on Naboo for four days. The summit was relocated to a highly guarded and secure military base about fifty kilometers north of Theed. During our down time General Iwanuk taught me how to protect my thoughts. He said I was a natural and that perhaps I actually had some weak Force potential. During the training I did everything in my power to dampen down and hide my Force signature, obviously I was successful.

When he was comfortable with my progress he told me to, ' _Run along and socialize with the summit guests'_ , like a grandfather sending a child out to play.

I haven't seen Skywalker for days. I wasn't actively avoiding him, he just wasn't around. I was told he was at the hospital visiting the Princess. Perhaps it is time for me to visit his sister.

* * *

 _ **Entry 52**_

I was denied permission to visit Leia Organa Solo at the hospital, which really wasn't a surprise; after all, she was just kidnapped by terrorists. I requested that the family be told I was in the lobby and ten minutes later I was added to the list of approved visitors.

When I entered the Princess' room I was greeted enthusiastically by Solo and his Wookiee copilot. Solo put a hand on my shoulder and guided me to his wife's bedside. "Leia, you remember Litassa."

Leia managed a weak smile. She was lying in an adjustable bed with an IV in her arm. She had a few visible bruises, but otherwise she looked well. "I want to thank you for all your help."

"You're welcome." I looked around for Skywalker, but he was not around. "Where's Luke?"

Solo patted his stomach. "He's getting something to eat. The staff feeds patients, not visitors."

I nodded then turned my attention to Leia. "I'm sorry about…I mean…did you…were you…"

"Pregnant," the Princess offered. "I was, but no longer."

"I'm sorry."

She nodded sadly. "At least we have Ben. Han and I wanted him to have a sibling. Luke and I were raised as only children. Since I found out I had a brother I fantasized about what it would have been like to grow up together. I wanted Ben to have what we never had." She sighed deeply. "But I guess that's not to be."

"You are still young."

She shook her head. "No, I realized any child of mine will be a target. I can't bring another baby into this world to be kidnapped by crazed terrorists or worse." She fell silent for a long pause.

"Litassa." I heard my name called out and found Skywalker at the door holding a tray of cafeteria food. He stood for a moment looking flustered before he entered and placed the tray on a small bedside table. "I didn't know you would be here. Let me go get you something."

"No, that's okay," I protested but the Jedi was gone. I turned to Solo. "What's with him?"

He gave me a shrug of his shoulder. "I think he's upset over what happened at the safe house."

"Oh," I said softly. I thought my actions might bother the Jedi, but not to the point of avoiding me. "I guess I shouldn't have killed the Dug…but." I paused in thought. "Well, in my opinion, some people deserve a good killing."

The Wookiee made a barking laugh at the comment. I wasn't surprised that an alien capable of pulling the arms off another sentient would see my actions as justified.

"He's not upset with you," Leia said from her bed. "He's upset with himself. He almost lost control. If you weren't there…he's not sure what would have happened."

"He was upset…and understandably so. To be honest, I was a little surprised. He's usually so calm."

Han motioned towards his wife. "He's protective of Leia. Vader once threatened to turn Leia to goad him into turning to the darkside…it almost worked."

I glanced toward the exit. "Should I leave?"

Solo shook his head. "No. I think he needs to talk to you. If anybody understands what he is going through it would be you." He blushed slightly. "No offense, not that I think you are…you know…darkside…but you understand the Force."

I chuckled. "No offense taken." I paused in thought. "When he's ready, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you." Leia said with a smile before lapsing into silence. We all stood around the room, shuffling our feet and waiting for Skywalker to return, not wanting to eat without him. The Wookiee kept looking at the food and making a plaintive mewing sound. "Oh for love of…" Leia motioned toward the food. "Eat you two. Chewie's stomach rumbling is deafening."

She didn't have to tell the Wookiee twice, he grabbed up most of the food Skywalker brought earlier. Solo picked up a sandwich and a glass of blue milk. He sniffed the liquid and made a face. "Why does the kid always get me blue milk? I wanted ale."

Leia made an amused snort. "I doubt the hospital commissary sells liquor."

Han gave an incredulous expression. "They should. Hospitals are depressing. A tavern would cheer up the place." He motioned toward the glass. "Do you want it, Litassa?"

I shook my head. ""No thanks. I heard it comes from Banthas, but not from their mammary glands."

"That's not true," a voice called out from behind me. I turned to find Skywalker entering with another tray of food. "That particular disturbing rumor was spread by the Nerf Milk Commission. I should know, I've milked Bantha's before."

"Are you sure you were hanging on to a teet?" Solo joked.

"And that you were milking a female," I added with a grin.

"Ha, Ha," the Jedi said sarcastically. He put the tray down before handing me a cellophane wrapped sandwich and a bottle of fizz. He turned to the other tray and frowned when he realized his meal was apparently consumed by a hungry Wookiee.

I tore my sandwich in half and handed it to him. "Here. I'm not that hungry."

He gave me a soft smile. "Thank you."

"Hey," Solo said with his mouth full of food. "Why don't you two kids go catch up? You can use the Falcon. Chewie and I are going to stick around here."

"And by _'here'_ he means the pub down the street," Leia pointed out with a roll of her eyes.

Solo waved us off. "She's joking. Go on. She's going to be discharged today. We're going to get a room near the new summit location."

My jaw dropped. "You're going back to the summit?"

Leia sighed. "I need to quell rumors about my health and show terroristic organizations that they can't stop the political process."

I suppressed a derisive snicker. A couple years ago it was the princess leading a terroristic organization. I finished my half sandwich and washed it down with the drink Skywalker bought me. "I guess I should go. I just wanted to check up on everybody."

Skywalker moved to block the door. "Don't leave. Let's go back to the Falcon and talk."

I couldn't say no after I promised the Solos I would talk to the man. "Sure." I said my goodbyes to the Solos and their Wookiee friend and left the hospital with a smiling Jedi.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Entry 53**_

"We were so busy answering questions after the police arrived at the safe house I didn't get a chance to thank you." Skywalker lowered the boarding ramp of the Millennium Falcon and motioned me to go ahead of him.

"I'm glad to help. Although we were on the opposite sides in the war, I always admired your sister. She was elected Senator as a teenager; she fought in the Rebellion and put her life on the line. It's not what anybody expected from a young, pampered Princess." I looked over to the Jedi. "I have to admit, you are nothing like what I expected either."

His brow went up. "How so?"

I laughed. "I thought you would be a dimwitted, rimworld rube, turned egotistical Rebel pilot and hero."

He laughed. "So you were surprised by my unpretentiousness…especially when it came to my good looks and charm?"

That gave me a chuckle. "Yeah, that must be it."

He smiled broadly as he took a seat behind a hologame table and gestured for me to join him. "When are you leaving?"

"After the summit. You?"

"Same."

"Are you going to Chandrila?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. That is going to be the capital of the New Republic for a while, or that's what I heard." He gave me a sidelong glance. "I would still like to train together."

I opened my mouth to say something but he kept talking, it was like if he didn't get the words out they may never come. "Litassa, you were right about me. I'm half trained and that makes me dangerous. But you," he pointed to me. "You're fully trained. You can teach me how to avoid the darkside. You know how to do it. You could teach me."

"I…ah," was all I got out before he interrupted me again.

"Hear me out." He drew in a deep cleansing breath. "I know you said I am nothing like my father, but I think I could easily cross that line if something like what happened to Leia happened again. I could become dangerous…and I think you are the only person who can stop that from happening."

"I think you vastly underestimate your power in the Force." I looked away. "To be honest. I don't think I could have stopped you if you insisted in killing that Dug. You were drawing on the darkside and I could feel your power bristling with hate. When you are in that state of mind, I don't think I could have stopped you."

"Maybe not physically, but you talked me down. You reasoned with me. You bring out the best in me. I need you."

I knew my superiors wanted me to go with Skywalker, to watch him, to spy on his family and organization, but I didn't want to lie to the man. It pains me to admit, but I have started to like the Jedi. I felt a connection to him…even if it was only through the Force. "Skywalker…"

"Luke."

"What?"

He gave me a sad smile. "Please call me Luke…like you did in the safe house."

"Okay, Luke. About staying with you and training…I don't think it's a good idea. You have to realize my job is in Imperial Intelligence. Anything you or your family says or does in front of me can be reported to the Empire. I am a loyal Imperial. I am not going to defect or become a double agent for anybody. I am a spy. I spy. That is what I do. It will be dangerous for your government to have me around…especially if the treaty fails."

He shrugged. "My government and family know that. We plan on feeding your government disinformation through you." His eyes sparkled mischievously and the corner of his lips curled up slightly. "It's all part of my deviously sinister master plan of intrigue and deception that I have disguised as an pathetic and desperate plea for your company."

I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. "I'll have to think about it. I know I could get permission to go to Chandrila, but it might hurt my career."

"How so?"

"I will be cut off from Imperial intel while I'm gone."

He looked at me for a long moment before he grinned slightly. "That sounds like you have already presented this option to your superiors."

I averted my eyes. "Not exactly…they initiated the conversation."

He was momentarily taken aback. "The Empire is really that serious about spying on me?"

I nodded.

He looked down at the gaming table, running his finger over the patterns of the board. "What did you tell them?"

I shrugged. "I told them I would think about it."

He gave an understanding nod. "I wish you would come to Chandrila. I truly believe the treaty will hold…that we will remain allies."

I scoffed. "If you really believe we will remain on the same side…then come with me and join the Empire. Why does it have to be _me_ that has to uproot and follow you?"

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed his mouth reconsidering his words. He blew out a heavy sigh. "Can we at least train together while you're here? I would like to learn how you blanked out those security holovids."

"Sure, do you have a vid recorder?"

He stood while gazing around the ship. "I think Han has one he uses to keep an eye on the Falcon while he's away."

He went down the corridor and rummaged around on the flight deck before coming back with a small holovid recorder and a datapad. "It is wireless. I know the code to patch in the feed to my datapad." He set the camera down on the gaming board focusing the lens on me. He then sat down next to me with datapad in hand. "Okay, how do I do it?"

"Wireless holovid recorders can be disrupted by projecting a blast of Force energy to disrupt the signal. If the cameras are hardwired it is a little harder to do, but it is possible by focusing on the holovid's lens. A blast of Force energy hitting the lens can trick the camera into thinking a bright light is shining right onto the photo sensors. The recorder will compensate by dampening the electronic signal going to the memory card. The end result is a blackened image instead of the static you would get with the wireless system."

He looked at me blankly. "Can you show me?"

"Okay." I focused on the camera and concentrated, imagining a blanket of Force energy surrounding the holovid and disrupting communications. The image on the datapad became skewed before turning to static. I turned to the Jedi. "It feels a little like when you do a Force shove, but instead of pushing the camera you are pushing...disrupting the signal." I blew out a frustrated breath. "I can't really explain it. You just have to practice and know that it can be done."

"Okay." He closed his eyes and stretched out a hand. I immediately put my hand on his arm and pushed it down. He looked to me confused. "What?"

"You don't have to hold out your arm to do it." I shook my head and made a sound of disgust. "You look like Vader when he was Force choking someone." I pointed to my temple. "You control the Force with your mind. If you are a spy on the street and you are looking right at the camera with arm extended the security operator will know you are up to something."

"That makes sense." The Jedi looked at the datapad his face scrunched up in concentration. It took a few tries, but eventually I saw some static before the camera went blank. He smiled widely. "I did it."

He put down the datapad and sat back giving me a sidelong glance. "If you are so unsure about peace among our governments…why do you teach me anything?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know."

He stared straight at me questioningly. "You don't think I am influencing you in some way…like when we kissed, do you?"

I blew out a frustrated breath. The last thing I wanted to discuss was that kiss. I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. "I told you to forget about that."

"Can you at least tell me if you are still concerned about me influencing you in some way."

I shook my head. "No, not anymore. I practiced shielding since that day. You wouldn't get the same result if you tried."

He sighed and sat back in his chair. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it, because that is one experiment I don't want to risk trying again."

I gave him a hard look. "It wouldn't be a risk. I am confident you won't be able to influence me in anyway."

He put out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I believe you."

I bristled with irritation because I could sense that he didn't believe me. "You think you can make me do it again, don't you?"

He looked away sheepishly. "You did say I was strong in the Force."

"Well, so am I," I shot back. "And, as you pointed out, I am fully trained…you just surprised me the last time. My guard was down. It won't happen again." I turned to him fully. "Go ahead, try."

He laughed while shaking his head adamantly. "Oh no. My sense of self preservation prohibits me from going down that road."

Now I was pissed. I gave his shoulder a soft nudge. "Come on, do it."

He grinned widely before turning to face me. "If I do this, don't get violent if we get the same results."

"I didn't kill you last time...and you won't succeed this time." I gave a ' _come-on'_ gesture with my hand. "Do it."

He took in a deep breath and blew it out. "Okay, you asked for it." He gazed deeply into my eyes and said, "Kiss me."

I have to admit I was relieved when I didn't even flinch. The Jedi's smile faded and was replaced with a look of disappointment. He leaned in closer and gave me what I assume he considered a _'come hither'_ expression before repeating what he said in a deeper and more sultry voice. "Kiss me."

I bit down on my lower lip to keep from laughing but I failed to contain my amusement. "Was that your attempt at seduction?"

He looked a bit crestfallen before he squared his shoulders and tried again with a smirk. "Come on, you know you want me." He held up an arm and flexed his biceps. "I don't know how you can resist. I'm a Jedi and I was an X-Wing pilot…Rogue Leader, in fact. All the ladies love a Rogue."

I laughed out loud. "You are terrible at romance."

He moved his arms up and down an rhythmic motion. "Maybe if I dance for you."

I shook my head. "Please don't."

He was about to say something else when his datapad beeped. He gazed at me apologetically. "Sorry, I have a text from Han." As he read the message his face flushed red before he closed his eyes.

"What did he say?" I was worried that his sister might have taken a turn for the worse. Skywalker didn't answer but instead handed me the datapad while he turned the camera to face away from us.

I looked down at the device and read the message.

 _"Luke, before things get out of hand, I have to remind you that my security holovids transmit to my datapad. By the way, you may be lousy at seduction, but your efforts really cheered up Leia. This is the first time I have seen her laugh and smile since the attack."_

I glanced back up to the Jedi who looked like he was going to die of embarrassment. "I think Han is getting back at us for that _'I'm a pretty Hoojib'_ stunt."

He turned away in humiliation. "Sorry about that. I forgot he could see us."

I looked to the camera that was now facing in the other direction. "He can't see us now." I then leaned in and kissed Skywalker on the cheek. When I pulled back he looked at me questioningly. "I did that because I wanted to, not because of any influence you have over me."

His datapad beeped again. I opened the message and laughed before showing the Jedi the text from his brother-in-law.

 _'Luke, I can still hear you. What did she do? Leia is dying to know.'_

The Jedi made a frustrated noise before turning off the camera. I decided this was enough fun for one day. I rose out of my seat and headed for the exit. The Jedi followed me grabbing my hand in his, halting my escape. "Can I see you again before the end of the summit?"

I smiled with a nod. "Sure, we can have lunch…or something."

A wide smile blossomed across his face. "Something sounds good."

As I left the ship I once again wondered if the Jedi was influencing me through the Force...or was I actually falling for the man.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Entry 54**_

I saw Skywalker two more times before I returned to Epta Prime with General Iwanuk.

We had enjoyed a dinner together and then on the last day on planet we attended the summit's closing ceremony ball. Personally I thought it was in very bad taste to keep the dance on the schedule after the attack during the opening ceremonies resulted in guest injuries and in Prince Leia's miscarriage.

Han and Leia were nowhere to be found, but Luke attended, although his demeanor was somewhat subdued. He sidled up next to me as I order a drink from the bar and gave me a sad smile. "Our last day on planet."

I took a sip of my sparkling wine and nodded. "I return to my base tonight. You?"

"Tonight." He gave me a questioning look. "Unless you would like to stay a little longer. We can take in some of the sights. This is a beautiful planet."

"No," I said with a shake of my head. "General Iwanuk expects me to accompany him back to base."

The Jedi's hopeful expression did not fade. "Maybe I can come and visit you?"

My brow rose. "On Epta Prime? You do realize it is an Imperial controlled world."

He shrugged. "We are at peace. Do you think I would be denied permission to land?"

I laughed. "No, but you have to realize when you destroyed the Death Star you killed up to a million Imperials. You are not well liked on the planet…with the exception of Marta Darten, my commander's wife. She is a Jedi groupie. She has a lot of questions that she'd like answered."

The Jedi chuckled as he ordered ale from the bartender. "Really, what type of questions?"

I waited until he had taken a sip of his drink before I answered. "She wanted to know if you are going to train an Army of celibate Jedi warriors or will you allow your Jedi to have casual sex but forbid marriage."

As I expected, he almost choked on his drink. "What?"

I gave him a coy look. "She wants to know if you are going to rebuild the Jedi to be sexless monks." I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from laughing. Skywalker's expression was almost comical.

He regarded me quizzically. "Why would she ask that?"

"According to her the Jedi of old were forbidden to marry or have families." I stepped away from the bar and signaled for the Jedi to follow. When we were out of earshot I leaned in and whispered to him. "Maybe that's why your father left the Jedi. He fell in love with your mother. That's a somewhat romantic thought." I mused that over for a while as I tried to imagine Vader wooing a woman by whispering sweet nothings through his booming voice synthesizer.

Skywalker frowned. "I know nothing about my mother or my father when he was a Jedi. He appeared to know about my existence, but not my sister's. That tells me he wasn't around when my mother gave birth. It could be they didn't have a romantic relationship. She might have been some woman he had a casual fling with." He shook his head sadly. "There is so much that I will never know."

"I understand," I whispered softly. "I know nothing about my parents either." I put my empty wine flute on an empty table and eyed Skywalker. "Would you like a dance before I head off planet tonight?"

He placed his ale mug on the table before offering me his arm. "I would be delighted."

* * *

 _ **Entry 55**_

Skywalker walked me to my room at the conclusion of the closing ceremonies. I was feeling genuinely happy and lighthearted. I thoroughly enjoyed dancing with the Jedi and I couldn't remember laughing as much as I did than that day. Unfortunately, my companion didn't share my upbeat mood now that the festivities were over. I could feel his genuine sadness and conflicted emotions as we reached the door to my room. He smiled sadly as he reached out and took my hands in his. "I don't know how you feel, but I sense a connection between us. I wish we had a chance to be together long enough to figure out what that connection is."

I looked around nervously, uncomfortable with this public display of affection. The hallways were full of guests going to and from their rooms and the Jedi's romantic gesture didn't go unnoticed. "Not here." I unlocked my door and pulled the Jedi inside. Once alone, I gave an exasperated sigh and a shake of my head. "Luke, why do you want to torture yourself? There are too many roadblocks preventing any relationship between the two of us. There is my job, long separations, two governments that could slip back into war at anytime."

He gave a disappointed nod of his head before a slight smile curled up at the corners of his mouth. "I noticed you didn't mention anything about your feelings when you listed obstacles."

"What do you mean?"

"You never said the relationship wouldn't work because you don't have any romantic feelings for me… or that you're not attracted to me or…or anything else related to us."

I closed my eyes and exhaled a long breath. "If we met under different circumstances…" I hesitated, not wanting to go down this path, but knowing he would sense the truth through the Force if I tried to lie. "I do like you and I enjoy your company. And, yes, we do have a connection through the Force. You can understand what its like having this ability. Non-Force users have no idea. They think it is some magical power that would make their life great." I gazed at him intently. "But you know that's not true. This power destroyed your father and it helped Palpatine rise to power. Even when we want to use the Force for good, who decides what is good or evil? The Inquisitorius was doing good deeds for the Empire. When you destroyed the Death Star you were doing it for the benefit for the Rebellion." I paused in thought. "We are both Force adepts, and I have to confess, it is nice being around somebody who understands me…but that can't be the bases for a relationship."

"It's not," Skywalker protested.

I scoffed. "If it wasn't for the Force we would have never met and without the Force we have _nothing_ in common."

"You don't know that. You haven't given us a chance."

"There is no _us_ ," I whispered softly.

"Not yet." He reached up hesitantly, cradling the side of my cheek with his warm palm. "But there could be an _us_." He leaned in and gently brushed his lips against my ear. "There could be an _us_ ," he whispered breathlessly.

I felt a cracking of Force energy passing between us as a slow burn of desire curled through me. My eyes fluttered shut as I briefly imagined giving into my desires and making love to this man, staying together, and becoming a family. It was a beautiful dream.

The Jedi must have sensed my stray thoughts because he rocked back on his heels to look at me expectantly, happily, only to have his hopes crushed when I came to my senses. I pulled back and turned away. "Luke, don't do this. We have no future."

I could hear him sigh deeply. "The future is always in motion."

I whirled around to face him, becoming irritated with his persistence. "This is like one of those cliché romance holodramas about forbidden love. Two people from different warring clans secretly fall in love and run off together. Do you know what happens in those stories?" I paused for dramatic effect. "The young couple ends up dead or heartbroken."

He chuckled warmly as his mouth eased into a grin. "Litassa, we're not in a holodrama…but it is true about me secretly falling in love." He stepped forward and rested his hands on my hips as he gazed deeply into my eyes. "I know this is a scary proposition…and you might be right…the treaty can fail and we could be pulled apart by circumstances. We may not have a future together, but do you know what we do have?"

"What?" I asked huskily.

"We have the present." He nudged his hips closer before leaning in and capturing my mouth in a kiss that made my head reel.

I remember stiffening in his embrace before I relaxed and allowed myself to enjoy the moment. I knew we had no future together. But he was right about one thing, we did have the present and maybe that was enough.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Entry 56**_

Four hours later I was on an Imperial shuttle piloting back to my home base. General Iwanuk went to his cabin to relax leaving me alone on the flight deck. I stared blankly out of the shuttle viewport, deep in thought…dumbfounded at what occurred on Naboo. I couldn't believe I kissed Skywalker.

 _'Gods, if you didn't come to your senses when you did…you might have done much, much more than kiss!'_ I silently admonished myself.

I tried to shake the memories out of my head, but it was no use. Those brief moments in the Jedi's arms were seared into my brain. For the first time in my life I felt loved...truly loved. It was a wonderful feeling, but I knew it would never last.

I ended up pushing him away. I could feel his disappointment through the Force but he nodded in understanding. "I guess we are moving a little fast," he had said quietly before leaving my room.

It was for the best. The relationship would only bring me pain. I needed to get back to my work and continue rebuilding my life—without distractions—especially any blond haired, blue-eyed distractions…distractions with the body a finely toned gymnast and a smile that could melt hearts.

"Arrgggh," I groaned in frustration before quickly glancing over my shoulder to make sure the general was still in his cabin. I didn't need him interrogating me as to the cause of my flustered state.

 _'No more daydreaming,'_ I thought sadly, _'Back to reality'._

* * *

 _ **Entry 57**_

I reported back to my unit upon arriving on Epta Prime. Commander Darten was pleased to see me. He ushered me into his office and gestured that I should take a seat before he leaned up against his desk. "Excellent job on Naboo. The general sent me copies of those security vids. Everybody was impressed with your staff fighting abilities." He pantomimed using an imaginary staff while chuckling. "The general told me it was extremely fortunate that you had a Force user with you, otherwise you might not have been successful in liberating the princess." He then gave me an insufferable grin indicating he knew full well that most of those impressive Force feats were probably done by me. "Yep, it is a good thing you had Skywalker there."

I scowled slightly. "I am one lucky Imperial," I said in the most sarcastic tone I could muster.

He burst out in laughter. When he was done snickering at my expense he took on a more somber tone. "I have some bad news." He drew in a deep breath and blew it out. "Captain Clegg was investigating criminal incursions into Imperial territory, specifically the Black Sun crime syndicate on the planet Dunkrut. He came up missing while you were on Naboo and yesterday his disembodied head arrived at the Dunkrut Imperial magistrate office neatly packaged in a box."

My jaw went slack with the news. I didn't know Captain Clegg personally, but he had a good reputation among the Intel community. "That's a terrible loss for the unit."

Commander Darten nodded solemnly. "Yes it is, but this may be good news for your career. I need somebody to replace the Captain, therefore I arranged for you to be frocked to that rank. The promotion won't be official until you have the required time in service, but you will have the rank and authority that comes with it."

"Thank you sir." I was not as enthused as I probably should be. Frocking gives you the ability to wear the rank, but you don't receive the corresponding pay and allowances that should come with the extra responsibility. It is more work for the same money…but it would look good on my record and guaranteed a placing on the early promotion list. "Does this mean I am going to Dunkrut?"

"Yes, but not right away. I need to get you up to speed on the situation, but soon."

I leaned forward in my seat. "Is this mission to gather intelligence information only or do you want me to eliminate the problem?"

He blinked in surprise. "Are you skilled enough to eliminate the problem? I don't want to lose another officer."

I nodded. "I believe so. I need to see what I am up against first, but I am confident in my abilities."

He gave me a slow, appraising glance. "I will leave it to your discretion, but there is no need to put yourself at risk. You can simply call in a strike team once you locate the enemy."

"Yes sir." I hesitated for a moment. "General Iwanuk mentioned sending me to Chandrila to spy on…the New Republic."

A sardonic snort emanated from my commander. "You mean spy on Skywalker?" He shook his head. "I think that is a waste of your talents…plus Skywalker knows you are Imperial Intelligence. He's not going to slip up. I talked to the General and also Colonel Jakobs about that particular mission. They left the decision to me and I believe Specialist Tommins would be better suited for the job."

"Tommins?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Tommins was some big-breasted twit that couldn't find her ass with two hands. "Sir, she is not the brightest of your recruits. Are you sure she's qualified."

He rubbed his chin and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Hmmm, does the curvaceous, coquettish and captivating Specialist Tommins have the qualifications needed to get close to Skywalker?" He counted on his fingers. "The number one qualification is she needs to be female. Check. Two she must be attractive. Check. Three…" He chewed on his bottom lip in thought. "There is no three. I guess she's qualified."

I rolled my eyes. "Is there a reason you don't want me to continue my association with Skywalker?"

A wide grin spread across his face. "Is there a reason _you wish_ to continue your association with Skywalker?"

"No," I said quickly.

"It's settled then. I will ship off Tommins immediately to Chandrila or wherever Skywalker is taking up residence. Straightaway and without delay."

I regarded my Commander for a long moment. "Why are you really sending her and not me? I can tell you are hiding something."

He made a _'Who? Me?'_ gesture before averting his eyes. "I don't like it when you use your…abilities on me."

I dropped my head and gazed at the floor as a sign of contrition. Commander Darten has been very good to me and he deserved my respect. "Sorry, Sir."

I waited for dismissal, but he continued to stand, shifting his feet in agitated silence before speaking. "There are two reasons. First of all, Colonel Jakobs highly suggested that whomever I sent to spy on Skywalker should be willing to do _'anything'_ in her power to ingratiate herself to the Jedi. I knew you were not that type of woman."

I lifted one firmly arched eyebrow. "How do you know Tommins would be willing to do _'anything'?"_

"That brings me to my second reason."He heaved a sigh before he pushed himself away from his desk to pace his office. "She ever so subtly propositioned me last week."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh," was all I could think to say.

"I pretended to be totally oblivious to her proposal, but I know her type. They flirt, but if they think they may get in trouble they try to get ahead of the story. If I acknowledged her proposition and turned her down outright she would tell people I propositioned her, and then I have an investigation on my hands, a ' _he said, she said'_ problem." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I told Marta I would ship her out immediately."

"You told your wife?"

He looked at me incredulously. "Of course I did. I want to get ahead of the story myself in case Tommins starts telling lies."

"If you want to get rid of her, why don't you send her to Dunkrut?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to send her to her death. You're right, she is not my best and brightest. If she went to investigate Black Sun she'd probably end up abducted and sold to Kuat pleasure-slave traders."

I had to chuckle at that remark. "You're probably right." I sighed inwardly. I know I said I wanted Skywalker out of my life…but it irritates me that some licentious bimbo would be soon be fawning all over the Jedi. Under normal circumstances I doubt he would take her up on her offer, but he's now brokenhearted. He was rejected and on the rebound.

Still…I don't know why that bothers me so much.

I think Commander Darten noticed my change in mood. "Is there something between you and Skywalker? I don't want to…"

I glared at him. "Don't want to what?"

He shrugged. "Break up a blossoming friendship."

"Don't worry," I said tersely. "You aren't."

His eyes narrowed and I knew he didn't believe me, but he simply nodded and sat down behind his desk. "Don't worry, Colay. I don't expect Tommins to be successful. The Jedi will probably identify her as a spy immediately. She will fail miserably and I will have a reason to ship her off to some rimworld Imperial outpost in disgrace. I wager she won't last a week."

I quietly nodded, not knowing what else to say. I rose from my seat and stood at attention. "Sir, if there is nothing else, I would like to get started researching my Black Sun mission."

"Of course." He dismissed me with a wave of his hand. "Good luck, _**Captain**_ Colay."


	33. Chapter 33

_**Entry 58**_

I spend two weeks going over intelligence gathered by Captain Clegg before his untimely demise. It appears Black Sun operatives were trying to get a foothold on Dunkrut in order to subject the planet to an assortment of sinister crimes, such as spice dealing, slave trading, counterfeiting, prostitution, arms trafficking, murder-for-hire, armed robbery and illegal drug manufacturing.

The alleged leader of the Dunkrut crime group was a member of the Yaka species named Gofdar. I have dealt with Yakas in the past. They have a very interesting history. Tens-of-thousands of years ago they were once large framed, brutish and unintelligent near-humans from the Yaka system. Approximately one thousand years ago geneticist from the nearby planet of Arkania decided to use the Yaka people as one giant science experiment. They would perform genetic testing on the hapless species and eventually they started installing cybernetic brain implants into the Yaka people in order to make them more _'civilized'_.

The result was large, brutish, hyper-intelligent humans. The modified Yakans instituted a tradition of implanting cybernetic brains into their children soon after birth. The end result was a species of geniuses, but they also lacked normal human emotions and empathy. Yakas who did run afoul of the law proved themselves to be extremely treacherous and devious criminals…as Captain Clegg unfortunately discovered too late.

During my remaining days on Epta Prime, I kept an eye out for Tommin's ignominious return to base, but so far, that has not happened. She is still out in the field supposedly seducing Skywalker…probably while wearing some black leather skirt and studded pushup bustier.

I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the situation. I turned Skywalker down. I wanted my freedom and I got what I wished for.

 _Kriff._

* * *

 _ **Entry 59**_

I am currently on Dunkrut. I don't know why the Empire wants to keep this cesspool of a planet. It is a semi-arid world with low moisture and high plains covered with scrub or prairie grass. There are a few lakes, but no oceans, no trees, and, in my opinion, no real civilization. What it did have was huge deposits of natural gas and petroleum. Mining and drilling towns dotted the planet in areas where natural aquifers existed.

I traveled to the capital city of Hofma in a small Imperial shuttle and took up residence in hotel in the center of the city. My job was to find Gofdar and his gang and then call in a strike team. Of course it is never that easy. Rarely do crime operations place all of their gang members in one location. There were probably dozens of locations were the various members took residence. I would have to find these various locales so that a coordinated Imperial attack could take place. That would take time…but that is something I have in abundance.

* * *

 _ **Entry 60**_

The Imperial Magistrate of Dunkrut gave me access to the public surveillance system. It allows me to scrutinize every intersection in the city along with security cameras in public buildings and parks. The magistrate also provided me with an alias and occupation that would allow me to travel to all parts of the city without raising suspicion. I have gone undercover as an Imperial parking enforcement officer (PEO). I know it sounds humiliating but it does allow me free movement and a reason to inspect vehicles closely. I have been issued a dull gray uniform with the initials PEO emblazed on the back. I was also supplied with a small parking attendant vehicle with an on board computer and visual scanner capable of identifying speeder registrations. Real PEOs would use the device to find vehicles subject of seizure for parking violations...and that is what I am going to have to do, so not to arouse suspicion. I also need to go slow and let the public (and the gang members) get accustomed to my presence. Captain Clegg had been intent on getting his information quickly. He had questioned people around town about illegal activity and that got him killed.

Gofdar or his accomplices are expecting Captain Clegg to be replaced. They will be looking out for a stranger asking questions and trying to cultivate informants. Fortunately for me, I don't need informants…I can sense a Yaka through the Force. I have interacted with them before and they have a distinct Force signature. It is hard to describe…but the energy projected from a Yaka seems…fuzzy. I believe their cybernetic brains causes interference with the Force giving it a static sensation.

It took weeks of driving around the city, but eventually I sensed the Yaka. He was located somewhere in a large four-story apartment building. Now I needed to identify his accomplices. I had the magistrate install a security camera on a light post across the street from the building's entrance. I kept track of all visitors and ran their faces through facial recognition software. I didn't get a hit on any known Black Sun syndicate members, but I was able to identify three men who did not live in the building, but would visit weekly, usually carrying bags of food and toiletries. They would run in, stay about twenty minutes and then leave. I was sure they were bringing supplies to the Yaka who had holed himself up in the building and I am fairly certain which apartment he was located. Twice I observed the silhouette of a large framed human in a top-floor corner window. I also recorded the speeder identification numbers driven by Yaka's associates and tracked them back to other buildings that possibly harbored Black Sun thugs.

Once I gathered all my evidence I had to decide what to do. I could go in and kill the Yaka, but that might tip off his men at the other locations. What I needed was simultaneous attacks on all the locations…and that is something I wasn't capable of doing alone. I needed to bring in an Imperial strike team.

This mission would soon be over, and I am thankful. I have been away from Epta Prime for seven weeks and it has been nine weeks since I heard anything about Skywalker. I hate to admit it, but I miss him.

I am still doubtful about a relationship between us…doubtful…but I am positive I have zero chance of having a successful long-term relationship with anyone else. I was the Emperor's Hand. I am a Force strong assassin. I can't imagine keeping my Force powers secret from a lover and I can't fathom letting anybody else know about my abilities. Too many people know as it is.

Maybe I should have given the relationship a chance. I don't know. The concept is so foreign to me.

I can think about that later. For now, I will call in the Imperial strike team…and then I can go home. Maybe I will give Skywalker a call, one friend to another, to see how he is doing.

* * *

 _ **Entry 61**_

The strike team set up and assaulted the various Black Sun locations simultaneously. The crime syndicate didn't know what hit them. The mission was a success. I stayed long enough to make sure all of the crime members I had identified were accounted for, and then I left this awful planet behind.

* * *

 _ **Entry 62**_

I returned to Epta Prime a hero. My comrades crowded around and congratulated me on a job well done. I noticed Tommins was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed she was now on some rimworld desert planet conducting a comprehensive inventory of sand grains.

I reported to Commander Darten who was pleased by my work. "Congratulations Captain Colay. You did an outstanding job. I am glad you decided to share the fun and called in the strike team. There is no need for you to take unnecessary risks." He gestured for me to take a seat in his office as he moved around his desk and sat down. "You broke the back of Black Sun on Dunkrut. I couldn't be more pleased."

"Thank you sir." I shifted in my chair before I broached the subject on my mind. "I assume Tommins is no longer here to bother you."

He nodded. "Thankfully she's still gone, but I do have to say, she surprised me. She's still on Chandrila."

My jaw went slack. "Really?"

He nodded slowly. "It appears she has maintained contact with Skywalker for the last few weeks, but don't worry, I doubt she will return to Epta Prime. She will probably fall into the category of _'Screw up and move up'._ She'll get promoted to sergeant and I will ship her off to a more desirable Imperial post where she will be free to sleep her way up the ranks without bothering me."

I blew out a long, slow breath before forcing myself to smile. "I'm glad she won't be troubling you anymore."

"Marta's happy Tommins is gone, but she is upset that I sent her to spy on Skywalker."

I cocked my head to the side in confusion. "Why is that, sir?"

He smiled. "Because she is certain you and the Jedi are meant for each other."

I gave a contemptuous snort. "Please."

That smug smile remained on his face. "Don't be so dismissive. She has an uncanny ability to read people. I sometimes wonder if she is a Force sensitive. She can always pick up on my emotions, even when I'm trying to hide my feelings."

"She's wrong," I assured him.

He leaned back in his chair, the smile never leaving his face. "Okay, then I guess you don't want to go to Chandrila as an Imperial Emissary. My superiors want me to send an agent to represent the Intelligence Corps at an upcoming ceremony dedicating Chandrila as the capital of the New Republic."

I glared at my superior. If I said I would attend then I was basically admitting I wanted to see Skywalker. If I said no, that I didn't want to go…well, then that would be a boldface lie and I would be irritated with myself for being so damn stubborn. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I would be honored to represent the Intelligence Corps."

He chuckled. "I thought you'd want to go."

"What about Tommins?"

"What about her? She's undercover. She can't represent the Empire."

I shook my head in frustration. He knew exactly what I meant. "What if Skywalker wants to talk to me. That might upset her mission."

Commander Darten rolled his eyes. "She may have stayed in contact with the Jedi but she hasn't provided us with any usable intelligence." He smiled warmly. "I say let the best woman win…after all, I have it on good authority that you and the Jedi are meant for each other."

I looked away as I struggled to suppress a smile. "When do I leave?"

"The ceremony is in three days, so you can leave right away. You need some vacation time after that last mission. You deserve it."

A momentarily lost my composure allowing a slight smile to grace my lips. "Thank you sir. I look forward to seeing…Chandrila."

He gave me a mocking smile. "I'm sure you do…want to see Chandrila that is." He waved me off. "Get out of here Captain. Start your leave today; just don't be late for the dedication ceremony. Dismissed."

I wanted to scowl at my commander for teasing me, but I knew I couldn't pull off that deception. I was happy and I couldn't hide it.

* * *

 _ **Entry 63**_

I arrived to Chandrila piloting a sleek Imperial Shuttle and garbed in a brand new military full dress uniform with my newly frocked rank of Captain. I have to admit I look pretty good in the ankle length black skirt and white waist length coat over frilled shirt. I looked professional. It didn't hurt that I now have the braided epaulets of a captain along with gold braid around the cuffs of the jacket.

I considered contacting Skywalker but decided to surprise him instead. Who am I kidding…I wanted to see if he really was with Tommins. I don't know what I will do if he was. I suppose I would avoid him, detach, and try to get the Jedi out of my thoughts. Or maybe I would slip a vibroblade between Tommin's ribs. Just kidding…I would have to make it look like an accident.

Of course, I'm jesting.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Entry 64**_

I went straight from my shuttle to the dedication ceremony's meet-and-greet. There I joined the other honored guests in a large assembly area where waiters handed out sparkling wine and finger food. I was masking my Force presence, unlike Skywalker who shone like a beacon. He was at the back of the room mingling with a number of military men in New Republic formal uniforms. Skywalker was also wearing his uniform with his retired rank of General, but I did notice his lightsaber hanging on his black leather belt. I wondered when he was going to break down and start wearing those ridiculous Jedi robes? Never, I hope. He looks dashing in a military uniform.

I looked around and spotted Tommins wearing a civilian ball gown and looking extremely bored. She wasn't standing next to the Jedi, but she kept him in her sight. I heard music start up in the adjacent ballroom prompting Specialist Tommins to force a smile on her face, sauntering up to Skywalker to converse while pointing to the ballroom. Luke shook his head and said something to one of his military buddies who offered Tommins his arm. She hesitated before taking up the soldier's offer. I noticed she looked back and the Jedi a number of times in frustration before she disappeared into the other room.

I had to smile. It looks like Skywalker is barely tolerating her. Perhaps things are not all cozy between the two. I decided to drop my Force cloaking and let him know I was in the room. His head immediately jerked up and he began searching the room. When he found me a huge smile blossomed across his face as he quickly made his way through the crowd.

When he caught up to me he reached out and grasped my hands. "I am so happy to see you. I've missed you."

"I missed you too," I said honestly.

"I tried contacting you, repeatedly. I thought you were avoiding me. I was beginning to panic, but eventually I discovered you were on an undercover mission."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who leaked confidential information?"

He chuckled. "We have people spying on the Empire, just like you have agents spying on us."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I really doubt you have somebody spying on me. I would be able to identify an infiltrator."

He laughed. "You're right. I had my sister contact your supervisor a few weeks ago and request your presence at this ceremony…you know…seeing that you saved her life. She was told you were on a mission, but he would give you the message if you returned in time. I'm glad you were able to attend."

My ire rose with my commander. He made it sound like he was doing me a favor by sending me and now I find out I had a personal invitation.

Luke held onto one of my hands and pulled me toward the ballroom. "Come on, I want to dance."

I didn't resist. We entered the expansive ballroom and quickly fell in step to a slow romantic tune. I had my arms up around his neck while his hands caressed the line of my back before coming to rest just above the curve of my derrière. We swayed to the music, pressed tightly together, my head resting on his shoulder as he dipped his head down to brush his lips against my ear. "I really missed you."

I could sense his eagerness through the Force as I leaned into his embrace. "I can tell."

It was then that I felt a spike of dangerous jealousy emanating from one of the guests. I tried to pull away to assess the situation but Luke tightened his grip on me. "Don't worry that is just Candi Steele."

"Who?"

He chuckled softly. "You probably know her by another name. I truly doubt that's her given name, unless her parents like naming their kids after exotic dancers." He turned on the dance floor. "You can probably see her now. She is the one glaring at you. It looks could kill you would be dead, Litassa. I assume she's Imperial."

I glanced up and noticed Tommins glowering at me murderously. I laughed softly. "Why do you think she's Imperial?"

"She mumbles Imperial running cadences in her sleep."

I pulled away indignantly only to find Luke grinning from ear to ear. "I'm joking," he chuckled as he pulled me back into his embrace. "I've kept her at arm's length since she got here. I would have sent her packing, but…"

"But what?"

"Don't take this the wrong way…but I thought sending her away would put her life in danger."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Why is that?"

He blushed slightly. "When we first met she claimed to be the daughter of some elusive diplomat, but I knew she was lying. I figured she was either a spy or a scam artist. I had our intel look into her background and although we didn't find anything we did determine she arrived from a shuttle originating from Imperial territory, so I assumed she was Imperial."

"And why did you think she would be in danger if you sent her away?"

He gave a slight shrug of his shoulder. "She threw herself at me with such wanton fervor that it was almost like her life depended on seducing me. So much so, that I started to wonder if her life actually did depend on it. I know the Empire doesn't tolerate failure. I didn't want her shot for failing to complete her mission…so I let her hang around."

"She wouldn't have been shot." I leaned back into his arms and sighed. "What have you two been doing all these weeks?"

"Meditating."

I looked up to him. "Meditating?"

He grinned. "She kept bugging me to spend time together so I offered to teach her meditation. She claims she enjoys the solace and serenity of meditation but I can sense through the Force her intense boredom. She fell asleep twice and toppled over. Luckily she was sitting on the mats at the gym, so she didn't have far to fall." The song ended and the Jedi led me away from the dance area and back to the room with refreshments. "Come on. Let's ditch my Imperial stalker."

We weaved through the crowded room around waiters with trays and patrons sipping drinks. I could sense Tommins following us at a respectful distance. Skywalker must have sensed her also because he did a wave of his hand and I heard a scream from behind me. I turned and saw Specialist Tommins covered in somebody's fruity alcohol drink while a second woman was apologizing profusely for being so clumsy and ruining Tommins' gown.

I looked over to Luke and smirked. "Nice use of the Force."

He chuckled as we quickly moved down the adjoining corridor. "It is not as effective as knocking over a cage of blubberbirds…but it will give us enough time to make our escape."

We dashed up a flight of stairs and down a second corridor until we reached his room. He slid his pass-card into the lock and guided me into the room, shutting the door behind.

I had to laugh at all the cloak and dagger theatrics Luke was willing to go through to evade one incompetent imperial. "Stang Luke, she couldn't have been that bad."

He leaned against the back of the door while shaking his head. "You have no idea. She is very persistent." He locked the door and then made his way to the small kitchenette. "Do you want a drink? The New Republic is paying the tab."

"Sure." I sat down in his suite's small sitting area. "So how did you manage to maintain your chastity with young buxom Candi Steele pursuing you?"

He handed me a drink and sat down next to me. "I told her that I have embraced the Jedi doctrine of no attachment and plan to build an order of sexless Jedi monks."

"Oh, Force!" I laughed. "I love it. I am going to have to tell my Commander's wife you said that." I put my drink down on the small side table and turned to him. "Well, in that case, I guess I should go. I don't want to spoil your plans of living a life of everlasting sexual frustration."

I began to stand but he reached around my waist with his free arm and pulled me back down. "Oh no you don't. I'm not going to let you run off." He put down his glass and wrapped both arms around my waist.

I struggled for a few seconds before settling down next to him. I gazed in his eyes for a long moment before I leaned in and kissed the man. He hesitated slightly before returning my kiss with strong gentle lips. Eventually he pulled away and drew in a ragged breath. "Litassa," he moaned. "We can't do this if you are going to leave. I can't take the heartache."

"I don't plan on running away." I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I want to see if there can be an _'us'_."

"Really? What changed?" he asked worriedly and I could sense his fear of being rejected again.

"I got a promotion. My career was on track. I should be happy and satisfied, but something was missing." I reached out and clasped his hand in mine. "I missed your friendship and I regretted pushing you away."

He nodded and smiled softly. "What about all those roadblocks?"

"They're still there." I thought about it for a moment. "I don't want to leave my job…but I don't want to spy on you. If my government knew we were in a relationship they would press me to gather intelligence data from you, your family and your government. I don't want to do that. I'd rather they didn't know…at least for now."

He leaned back in his seat and sighed deeply. "So you want to hide our relationship and sneak around only to meet sporadically for romantic clandestine rendezvous?"

I looked away. "I guess that sounds awful."

He reached up and caressed my cheek, turning my head to face him. "No, that sounds…wonderful." He lowered his mouth gently to mine and planted a searing kiss on my lips.

I pulled away and looked at him questioningly. "I thought you would want more."

He thought about it. "It is more than I have now." He heaved a sigh. "Litassa, I would love to be with you full time, but I know that probably won't happen. I can handle a long distance relationship…if it is exclusive…monogamous. Do you think that's possible?"

I smiled. "Yes. I'd like that."

"Good." His voice was deep and husky with desire as he leaned in and kissed me on the lips before moving along my jawline and down my neck. Things were getting a little hot and heavy when we were interrupted by the buzzing of the door indicator.

"Kriff!" Luke whispered. "My stalker is here."

I shrugged. "Ignore her. She'll go away."

And that is what I thought, but Luke was right, she was persistent. I sighed in frustration as I stood. "Luke, do you know any single handsome officers on planet that are friends of yours?"

He gave me a curious look. "You are not thinking about leaving me already are you?"

I gave a mischievous smile. "No, but I have an idea."


	35. Chapter 35

_**Entry 65**_

After about ten minutes of "Candi" ringing the doorbell, pacing the hallways, returning and buzzing again we finally sensed the arrival of another person outside Luke's room. Luke and I were leaning against our side of the door with our ears pressed against the cool metal in an attempt to hear what was said. After a few knocks we heard 'Candi' (AKA Specialist Tommins) interact with the new arrival.

" _He's not in. I tried buzzing him a few minutes ago."_ [pause] _"I'm Candi Steel. Are you a friend of Luke's?"_

 _"Yes. My name is Major Wes Janson." [pause] "I'm in charge of giving Jedi Skywalker his daily security briefing, but I guess he is going to miss today's intel. Oh well." [pause] I hope you don't mind me saying, you look beautiful in that dress. Would you like to go down stairs and join the festivities?"_

There wasn't even a pause before she answered, _"Yes!"_

I chuckled as I leaned against the door. "I think you have successfully transferred your stalker to your unlucky friend."

"I think my unlucky friend is going to get lucky fairly quickly." Luke laughed. "Wes is probably the biggest lady's man I know and a huge practical joker. I can't imagine what bogus stories he is going to tell your agent."

I gave a snort. "And I can't imagine what 'Candi' will do to get that false information."

He reached over and took my hand in his. "Although I would like to continue what we started here, I have to be at the official ceremony that is swiftly approaching."

"Same here."

He smiled widely. "Let's go together then…and see how things go from there."

I nodded. "That sounds perfect."

* * *

 _ **Entry 66**_

The official ceremony was long and boring with various key speakers spouting New Republic propaganda about _'this is a new era of peace, civility and social justice. It is a time of freedom from fear and the end of weapons of planetary destruction'_. I could sense Luke was worried about my reaction. After all, the speeches were basically denouncing the Imperial regime. We were the evil empire and the New Republic is the savior of the galaxy.

We were in a large auditorium filled with every sentient species imaginable. Luke had an assigned seat in the dignitary balcony, but he opted to sit next to me in the general seating area. He looked over nervously as his hand reached out and grasped mine. He smiled apologetically as the current speaker did little to hide the fact that he hated the Empire. Of course, this was a former leader from Alderaan. I can't really blame him. Luke leaned toward me and whispered in my ear.

"Sorry, I thought things would a little more cordial with the treaty in effect."

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've said some really offensive things about the rebels in my day."

He raised an eyebrow. "Present company excluded I hope."

That got a chuckle out of me. "You blew up our battle station. No, you're not excluded."

He pretended to pout. "I'm sorry that I blew up your weapon of planetary destruction," he said sarcastically.

I was about to jam my elbow into his side when the audience erupted into cheers and applause. Luke and I stood when the rest of the audience rose to their feet. I looked over to the Jedi. "Is it over?"

He nodded. "That was the last speaker."

We shuffled out of the audience seating and back to the ballroom. There we spotted Han Solo, drink in hand, and a wide grin on his face. The former smuggler slapped a hand down on Luke's shoulder. "Hey Junior. I'm glad to see you found Litassa." He gave me a wink. "Luke had Leia contacting Imperial intelligence to get an invitation out to you. I'm glad you got the invite."

I smiled broadly. "Thank you for thinking of me."

Han looked at my uniform for a long pause before pointing to the blue and red rank insignia on my dress uniform. "You got promoted to Captain." He blew out a whistle. "You are moving up the ranks." He gave Skywalker a sidelong glance. "I hope the kid isn't divulging government secrets."

I linked arms with Luke. "No, never… and I tried everything in my power to get him to crack."

Solo gave a sarcastic snort. "Sure you did."

Luke frowned at that comment. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Han rolled his eyes and I started to wonder exactly how many drinks he had today. "It means she is very good at her job. If she can make me hop around like a hoojib she could probably convince you to do just about anything." He gazed around the crowded room. "I better find Leia." He pointed to the far wall. "I'm going to check around the open bar, and see if she's there."

Luke chuckled. "She's not there Han. I would sense her if she was."

He gave a lopsided grin. "I'm going to double check. You can never be too sure."

The Jedi waved him off and turned back to me. "Do you want a drink."

"No, I am going to go back to my shuttle."

His expression became troubled. "You're not leaving are you?"

I shook my head. "I would like to get out of this uniform."

He smiled with pleasure. "I'd like that also."

I looked at him amused. "Oh, really."

It took him a second to realize what he said and how it could be misconstrued. "No, I mean I can't wait to get out of my uniform." He gestured towards me. "I guess we can both get out of our uniforms and then get together." He paused for a second as a blush crossed his face. "In comfortable clothing."

I chuckled. "I know what you mean." I nodded toward the exit. "Come with me. Have you ever been inside a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle?"

He grinned. "A couple times. Once when I was captured on Endor and brought to the second Death Star and then I stole one so I could escape the Death Star's destruction."

"I can't believe you escaped from both battle stations." I turned and started walking. "Imperial security really needs an overhaul."

Skywalker fell into step next to me. "It may not be as bad as you think. I believe we were allowed to escape the first time and my escape from the second battle station was fairly easy. I guess Stormtroopers don't want to detain a person who's dragging a Sith Lord behind them."

I stopped and stared at him. "Palpatine?"

He shook his head. "No, my father. I brought him down to Endor. I wanted to give him a proper goodbye. I had a funeral pyre."

I shook my head. "You are something else, Skywalker. Darth Vader was a brutal murderer who tortured your sister." I pointed to his cybernetic hand. "And he maimed you…but you honor him in death."

He shrugged. "He saved my life. He turned back to the light at the end and became one with the Force. I saw his Force ghost afterwards." He paused. "At least I think it was him. He was young and not the old man that I saw under his mask. It was him as a Jedi…not as a Sith. And I saw my old Masters, Ben Kenobi and Yoda."

I gave him a sidelong glance. I heard rumors that some people could maintain their form after death, but I have never witnessed it. "Are you sure it was them and not some alcohol induced hallucination?"

"I was sober."

I had no reason to disbelieve the Jedi, so I let the subject drop. We were outside and walking toward the docking facility. It was a nice day with a cloudless sky and comfortable temperature. I needed to check the computer and see if there are any attractions nearby. My commander gave me a week off and I could use some rest and recreation. I pointed to my shuttle. "That's my ride."

I lowered the ramp as we approached. I wasn't ever at the top of the ramp when I pealed off my stiff collared jacket and threw it on a passenger chair. "I am so glad I didn't have to fight off some terrorists again in a dress uniform and heels." I pulled out a travel bag from the cargo compartment. I glanced over to the Jedi. "There isn't a cabin in this shuttle, so if you don't mind turning around while I dress."

"Oh sure." The Jedi turned his back to me. I am fairly certain he could see my reflection off the durasteel bulkhead, but I really didn't care. I changed into casual shorts and tunic and soft-soled shoes.

"Done." I grabbed my bag by the strap and threw it over my shoulder. "Lets get you back to your hotel room and out of those clothes."

His brow rose and I think the Jedi expected me to back peddle that comment and explain exactly what I meant, but I decided I would leave the meaning up in the air.

"Okay," he said with a smile as he walked down the ramp. "Let's get to it."


	36. Chapter 36

_**Entry 67**_

We went back to his room and I allowed him to change in privacy. He came out of the 'fresher wearing tan cargo shorts and an untucked button up tunic. I looked him up and down and smiled. "You look nice."

He grinned happily. "So what do you want to do today?"

I sat down on his sitting area couch and patted the seat next to me, inviting him over. He sat down next to me and leaned in for a kiss, but I stopped him. "Before we start this relationship experiment I think we need some ground rules."

He looked disappointed, but he nodded in agreement.

"First of all," I said adamantly. "Don't tell me any actionable intelligence that you don't want the Empire to know about. I don't want to find myself in a position where I have to choose between loyalty to my government and my friendship to you." I gestured toward him. "And I will do the same. I am not going to tell you any Imperial secrets."

He nodded. "Okay. That sounds reasonable."

I gave a slight shake of my head. "Before you agree you need to realize this means there will always be secrets between us… _always_. There are things about my job and about me that I can never tell you. Can you handle that? Most people in relationships want total transparency and you are never going to have that as long as I work for the Empire and you are with the New Republic. This can put a strain on the relationship. Can you cope with the secrecy?"

He sighed deeply. "That does sound difficult." He gave me an uneasy look. "Can we make one exception in that rule?"

My eyes narrowed. "What?"

"If the treaty fails, would you tell me if me or my family were in danger?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean from me?"

A sad smile crossed his face. "I would hope you wouldn't accept an assignment to kill me. I mean if the empire decided to assassinate me or my family?"

I thought about it for a long pause. "Would you do that same for me?"

"Yes, of course."

I blew out a long breath. "Yes, I would give you a warning." I smiled tenderly. "And you're right, I wouldn't accept an assignment to kill you…unless I find out you had been playing hide the lightsaber with Specialist Tommins all along."

He let out a soft husky laugh before leaning in to kiss me soundly. "No need to assassinate me, then," he said as he pulled away for a breath. "You are the only person I allow to handle my lightsaber."

I was going to say that was the worst pickup line I have ever heard, but he pressed his lips against mine, ending all conversation.

* * *

 _ **Entry 68**_

The remainder of the day was fantastic. We did some sightseeing, had dinner and then went dancing. I had intended on getting a room at the hotel, but I was informed that all the hotel rooms in a one hundred kilometer radius were booked minutes after the date and location of the New Republic Capital dedication ceremony was released.

Of course, Skywalker was the consummate gentleman and offered me his bed stating he would sleep on the couch. Since I consider myself a courteous guest, I offered to sleep on the couch. After a few drinks and more intimate conversation we decided it was a pointless discussion…we all knew where we would end up sleeping at the end of the day.

* * *

 _ **Entry 69**_

I woke up the next morning exhausted from the night's activities, but feeling warm and more content that I can ever remember. I rolled over in bed and admired the sleeping Jedi next to me. He was curved beside me, facing away, his sheets disheveled and barely concealing the most perfect backside I have ever seen on a man. The sight of him made my heart pound and my mind dizzy with emotions.

Last night was special…very special. It wasn't the sex…although that was great, but it was this incredible feeling of emotional closeness. I was sure it was something to do with the Force. I have heard of bonding between Force users before, but I never thought I would ever experience it. It was almost frightening in its intensity. I was certain he could see into my soul and I actively worked to compartmentalize and hide away my previous life. I trust Luke not to tell people I'm really Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand…but what if somebody captured him…someone like General Iwanuk? The General could possibly tear that information out of Skywalker's mind. No, it was too dangerous. The Moffs would kill me for sure. That is one detail of my life that I am determined to keep secret.

I began to worry about what Skywalker could have possibly gleaned from me during our emotional and spiritual bonding. The Emperor did awful things to him. If he discovered my past close association with the Sith Lord would he leave me in disgust? He accepts that I was an Inquisitor, but if he knew that Palpatine himself could pop into my head at any time and give me commands would that skew his perception of me? Was that more than he could tolerate?

The Jedi must have sensed my anxious musings. He stirred and then rolled over to gaze as me with a worried expression. "You aren't having second thoughts, are you?"

I gave him a reassuring smile. "No. I was worried about you reconsidering the relationship."

He reached out and pulled me into his arms. "Never. I never knew I could feel so much passion." He cupped my cheek with his palm before leaning in and pressing a kiss against the pulse of my neck. "I love you."

His admission caught me by surprise. I had intense feelings for him, but I wasn't ready to make declarations of love.

"Hey," he whispered as he brushed a lock of hair away from my eyes. "I don't expect you to say the words yet. I know you are conflicted. We have plenty of time to work on this relationship."

I relaxed with a smile. "Thank you."

I leaned in to return the kiss but was interrupted by the buzzing of his comlink. Skywalker looked at the wall chrono and sighed. "It's mid-morning. I guess I can't expect to sleep in to noon." He reached to the bedside table and grabbed his comlink. "It's probably my sister wanting me to meet some dignitary."

"Say hi to her for me," I said sarcastically knowing my shy farmboy would be mortified if his sister knew I was lying in bed next to him.

He gave me a mock look of warning before he keyed the microphone. "Skywalker here."

"Hey Luke," said a very male and slightly familiar voice. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Hello Wes," the Jedi said as he rolled over on his back. "No, I'm just lying in bed. What can I do for you?"

"You have already done for me more than you can possibly image," the man said with a chuckle. "Damn that Candi Steel is one Imperial vixen. She had me up all night pumping me for information…if you know what I mean." I imagined the man thrusting his hips and winking at his comlink while made that comment. "I can see why you are hot for that Imperial Captain. If I knew Imperial women were so frisky in the sack I would have defected years ago."

Luke blushed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "That's nice Wes…um…just remember not to give her any real intelligence."

"Of course not. Playing women and telling fanciful stories are my specialty. Just like Candi's bedroom specialty is…"

"Stop!" Skywalker shouted out. "Please Wes, I don't need to hear the salacious details."

"That's your loss because I have some red hot indecent details. Hell, I told Hobbie about last night and he thinks I'm exaggerating. It was that kriff'n unbelievably hot!"

"That's great," Luke said curtly. "I'm signing off now."

"Wait! Wait," Wes interjected. "Just tell me if one thing Candi said is true. According to Candi, you two never hooked up because you're going to be a celibate Jedi Master. Is that true?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed at that remark.

Skywalker turned to me and frowned.

There was a long pause before Wes spoke again. "Sorry Luke…you're not alone, are you?"

"No," the Jedi admitted.

When Wes spoke again I could hear the mirth in his voice. "I guess that answers my question about celibacy."

"Goodbye Wes," Luke said while turning off his comlink. He heaved a deep sigh before smiling apologetically. "Sorry about his comments."

I turned to my side and ran a finger down his chest. "Are you apologizing for him saying you are hot for an Imperial Captain or his assumption that all Imperial women are awesome in bed?"

He reached over and placed a hand on my hip. "I'm sorry about all the sexual conquest talk. I'm not one to participate in that nonsense and the only reason Wes contacted me was because I arranged for him to meet Candi." A smirk crossed his face. "Who is obviously a very dedicated and extremely hypersexual Imperial spy." He pulled me closer until I was pressed against his chest. "How long before you have to head back home?"

"Six more days," I whispered in his ear.

He looked sad as he caressed me tenderly. "Then I guess we shouldn't waste time talking." He ran his warm smooth hands down my back as he molded his rock hard body to mine.

"Yes," I whispered hoarsely. "No more talking."


	37. Chapter 37

_**Entry 70**_

For the next two days Skywalker and I went out and visited the normal tourist attractions. We tried to keep things low key with very little, if any, public displays of affection. There were some questions from reporters about an Imperial associating with the New Republic's greatest hero, but, surprisingly, Leia Organa Solo ran interference for us.

She informed the media that, _"Captain Litassa Colay, the Imperial officer who saved many innocent civilians at the economic summit at Naboo and the person who personally assisted in my rescue from terrorists, is visiting our beautiful capital and I have asked Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker if he would show her the sights."_

I am not sure if the news reporters bought that explanation, but it did seem to reduce the amount of holojournalists following us.

* * *

 _ **Entry 71**_

We took my shuttle to a very isolated and uninhabited area of Chandrila. Luke said there was a massive cave system at the location where we could practice Force techniques unobserved.

We landed the shuttle and then walked a kilometer in hot jungle conditions until we found the location of the cavern. Walking in sweltering heat and contending with blood sucking insects wasn't my idea of a fun date, but Skywalker was so excited about having a chance to spar with lightsabers that I couldn't say no.

We had brought four large glow sticks to light up the cave's large grotto. Once we had the sparring location adequately lit, Skywalker handed me the Inquisitor lightsaber he bought for me. I have to admit it was a strange sensation to have a crimson blade in my hand. I don't know who the previous owner was, but I could feel the residue of darkness pulsated through the blade. Whoever he was…he was evil.

Skywalker was standing about three meters from me, green lightsaber in hand, and grinning like a kid in a toy shop until he noticed my hesitation to use the blade. He deactivated his lightsaber and stepped forward. "What's wrong Litassa?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." I gazed at the weapon for a long pause before returning my attention to Luke. "I don't know the extent of your lightsaber knowledge, but the kyber crystals in a Sith lightsaber start out the same as any Jedi's weapon, but when wielded by a darksider the darkside of the Force permanently alters the crystal. The damage turns the blade red. That's why almost all Sith have crimson lightsabers."

"Did you have a red lightsaber?"

"No," I said honestly. "I didn't use the light or dark side…but something in between. My lightsaber turned magenta in color." I moved the humming blade, side to side, getting familiar to its feel. "The sensation is strange."

"Should we forgo the lightsaber practice?"

"No, it just feels a different. I can wield it." I moved into an en garde position. "Let's go at it slow. It's been a while since I used a saber."

He nodded as he activated his weapon. We circled each other cautiously before I took the offense, swinging my saber high and slow. It was an easily defendable strike and if Skywalker faltered I was ready to end this lightsaber session immediately and opt for wooden staffs. Luke gave a disappointed roll of his eyes as he easily countered my attack with a parry and thrust. "You don't have to baby me, Litassa. I have fought with a lightsaber a few times against my father."

I smirked as I countered his attack and then spun around in an assault that would have removed his head from his shoulders if he failed bring his saber up in time to stop my blade. "I heard of your duel on Bespin. Didn't you lose your hand during that fight?"

He did a feint to the right before attacking to his left. I easily parried and riposted. "That is true," he admitted. "But the second time we met, I took his hand."

"I'm impressed," I said with a tinge of awe. "I wouldn't like to go against Darth Vader in a death match."

Luke lunged forward thrusting his lightsaber in my direction. "Did you ever train with my father?"

I circled around him looking for an opening. "No, he had a core group that he initially trained and those people trained the Inquisitors that followed. I had dozens of instructors in all types of combat training, but never your father."

I pressed forward, performing a number of thrust and swings. To my surprise, Luke did an impressive job at countering every one of my attacks until I finally worked my way through his defenses…and stopped my blade centimeters from his neck. We both stood there dazed as the realization that I could have killed the man slowly sunk in. As the shock faded I looked down and saw that Luke's blade stopped short of impaling me through the stomach. If we had a little less control we would have died on each other's blade. "I think we should take a break." I whispered as I shut down the weapon.

Luke did the same and stepped back. "That was a little closer than I would have liked."

I nodded. "You skill is considerable for a man who started training in his late teens."

Luke grinned. "Thank you." He clipped his lightsaber to his belt his before he bent down and rummaged through a small backpack he had brought along. He pulled out two small canteens and held one out to me.

"Thank you," I said as I took the water bottle and drank. Luke sat down on a small boulder on the cave floor and made room for me to sit next to him.

"Litassa, you once said you were an experiment—a Force-neutral Inquisitor—neither Jedi or Sith. How does that work?"

I hesitated for a moment before I answered. "The Emperor was well educated in the history of the Sith, Jedi and the Force. He had a library with the writings of dozens of Force-sects, such as the Dai Bendu, The Potentium, the Voss Mystics, Rakata, Legions of Lettow, or the Dark Acolytes. He wanted to create a legion of Force strong followers but he didn't want to develop enemies that could band together and overthrow him. I believe he regretted the development of the Inquisitorius. They may be watered down Sith…but they were still Sith with the same greed and insatiable thirst for power as he had. It was a bomb of corruption that was just waiting to go off. The Moffs also saw the danger and that is why they killed most Inquisitors after Palpatine's death. They posed a threat to their rule." I paused for a breath. "Palpatine knew there was more to the Force than the light and the dark. If a person could avoid the corruption of the darkside without having to adhere to a stringent and stifling Jedi code…then a strong and fiercely loyal Force adept, one without the thirst for power, might be created."

Luke nodded in understanding. "What skills did you learn?"

"You know I learned Force Concealment or Buried Presence because I taught you how to do it, along with blanking out security holocams. I was also taught how to do Force illusions, slow down or freeze a blasterbolt, I can paralyze the enemy, do Force shoves, Force assisted jumps and cushioning of falls, telekinesis, levitation, Force persuasion, mind melding, and some precognition." I took a breath and continued. "I was never specifically taught darkside techniques, but because I was trained on how to defend myself from a Force user, I think there are some I could perform, such as the memory rub, or the Force choke. I've never practiced them, so I'm not sure."

He stared at me slack jawed. "Wow. There is so much you can teach me."

I was afraid this was going to devolve into another _'Litassa, join me so we can train Jedi'_ talk, so I quickly presented my thoughts on the matter. "And I will teach you, Luke. I will teach _**you**_ , because I care for you…but I will never agree to train new Jedi. The galaxy is a better place without them or the Sith. I think for the first time ever the Force is in balance. Yes, there are a few Force users, but none as strong as Palpatine or the Jedi of old. You and I are just specks within the flow of the Force…but if you train dozens or hundreds or Jedi…it will cause a shift. And that is dangerous because if there is a shift to the light, there is almost always an equal and opposite shift to the dark. The Force wants to remain in balance. If the Jedi rise…so will the Sith. It's better if neither exist."

He opened his mouth to argue but I held up my hand. "Stop. If you want to debate that point, I won't teach you anything. I will not support the rise of the Jedi. I just won't."

He looked terribly disappointed, but he dropped the subject. "Okay," he said softly. "Can you teach me how to freeze a blasterbolt?"

I smirked. "Sure," I said as I pulled out my blaster. "Get ready."

I expected him to startle, but he didn't. Instead a slow, sexy grin slipped across his face. "I know you won't shoot your sexy moisture farmer."

I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth. He is never going to let me forget that particular moniker I bestowed upon him during a private and passionate moment together. "Don't be so sure, Farmboy." I tried to maintain the illusion of irritation, but I couldn't keep up the façade. I smiled tenderly before leaning in to kiss him.

Force training could wait.


	38. Chapter 38

_**Entry 72**_

We spent three days doing Force drills…albeit there was a lot of breaks between training sessions for more romantic endeavors.

The Jedi is a quick learner. He was able to freeze blasterbolts within an hour. Fortunately for him the energy bolts don't have to be travelling directly at him for the skill to work, otherwise he would be floating in a bacta tank after the first attempt. Instead, I would shoot above his head or to his side while practicing until he felt confident for a head-on shot.

He was already skilled in telekinesis and levitation, so I decided to work on communicating with one another through the Force. Luke said he was able to hear his father over the vastness of space. He was also able to communicate with his sister when he was close to death and hanging from a communications antennae under Cloud City. Although I don't like the idea of another Force user being able to pop into my head like Palpatine once did, I do realize that it would be a very handy skill to possess…especially when we were considering having a long-term clandestine relationship. It would be nice not having to worry about our transceiver communications being compromised.

We traveled back to the large cave system where we first sparred. I didn't think anybody could be able to pick up our thoughts while in the city, but having millions of people surrounding your location could cause interference and delay the learning process.

We were sitting cross-legged, facing each other while on a large blanket in the middle of the cavern grotto. The area was dimly lit by a lone glowstick giving the area an almost romantic atmosphere. I know it made the Jedi amorous. Twice I had to smack his hands away as he tried to reach out and caress my knees and thighs.

"Pay attention," I admonished him.

"You have my full attention," he said playfully.

I sighed deeply. "Do you want to do Force training or do you simply want to kriff all day?"

He looked to the cave ceiling as he rubbed his chin in thought. "That is a tough choice."

I heaved a sigh. "Were you this frustrating with your other Force instructors?"

He chuckled loudly. "Umm…no, but Yoda and Ben Kenobi didn't distract me like you do."

I let out a short laugh and shook my head. "You said you communicated with your sister. Trying doing the same with me."

"Okay." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I waited and waited, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and glanced in my direction. "Did you pick up anything from me?"

"No." I tried to think back as to how the skill was taught to me, but I was so young when I was trained in Force communication that I don't remember. I decided to try different approaches. "Instead of thinking of words, try images."

He nodded before closing his eyes and furrowing his brow in concentration. After a few moments I felt a buzzing in my brain. I could visualize static for a moment before an image coalesced. Once I realized what I was seeing I smacked him on his knee while giving him a stern look. "Stop that!"

He smiled widely. "I guess that means my image projection was successful."

"I hope your sister didn't get a glimpse of what you were projecting."

His smile dropped from his face. "You don't think she can pick up on our communications, do you?"

I smirked. "I don't know, Farmboy. You haven't learned control or zeroing in on a particular target yet. For all I know you have just sent a nude image of yourself to every Force user on the planet."

That realization appeared to put a damper on his libido. "Stang…do you really think so?"

I was fairly certain he didn't, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "I guess you will just have to ask your sister if she has been having impure thoughts about you lately."

He buried his head in his hands and groaned. "I hope you're the only one who saw what I was thinking."

I tried to keep a straight face, but failed. "I hope so too," I said with a snicker. I reached out and put my hands on his knees and stared him in the eye. "My turn." While remaining in eye contact I pulled the Force around me and projected a message. _'Luke. Can you hear me?'_

The way he startled indicated he heard me loud and clear. He sucked in a surprised breath before grinning wildly. "Yes, I hear you."

"Don't say it, think it."

He closed his eyes. It took a few minutes, but eventually I heard a faint _'Yes'_ in my head. I laughed happily. "I heard you."

He gave a celebratory shout before reaching forward and pulling me into his arms. "I think this deserves a celebration."

I pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. "What do you have in mind?"

The images that flooded through my brain brought a blush to my face. "Luke, I really, really hope your sister isn't picking up any of those images."

"So do I," he said breathlessly before he captured my lips in a passionate kiss.

* * *

 _ **Entry 73**_

It was a wonderful week, so much so that I didn't want my time with the Jedi to end. Of course, Skywalker picked up on my emotions and tried to convince me to stay.

"Litassa," he whispered to me while we were lying in bed. "Don't leave."

I dreaded this conversation, although I knew it was inevitable. "Luke, please don't start this. I don't want to end such a wonderful vacation with an argument. You said a long distance relationship would be acceptable. You said it was more than you had."

"Yes, I said that," he moaned. "But I didn't realize how difficult it would be to separate after this week."

I leaned in and kissed him softly. "We will see each other again. We will have weeks like this over and over. I promise you. The separations may be difficult, but it will make our reunions that much sweeter."

He smiled sadly. "Sweeter sounds nice."

I could sense through the Force that didn't believe his own words…and, to be honest, I don't know if I believe them either.

I'm going to miss my Farmboy.


	39. Chapter 39

_**Entry 74**_

I returned to Epta Prime and reported to Commander Darten's office. He smiled brightly upon seeing me. "Captain Colay, it is so nice to have you back." He gestured for me to enter his office. "Have a seat. I have some intelligence data I would like to confirm with you."

My brow furrowed in confusion. I wasn't expecting an audit of my work. "Did you find any discrepancies in my last report?"

He shook his head as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a datapad. "No, no. I was going over Specialists Tommin's intelligence data and I wanted your opinion."

I snorted in amusement as I sat down in the seat across from his desk. "Sir, the New Republic pegged her as an Imperial almost immediately. I doubt anything she was told is accurate. Perhaps if she stole documents or sliced into their computers she might have discovered some actual pertinent information."

"Well, let's see." He started scrolling through his data files until he found what he was looking for. "According to Specialist Tommins the New Republic has genetically altered ewoks to increase their brainpower so they could serve as Starfighter pilots."

I laughed. "Sorry, but I can't confirm that story. I never saw any ewoks while on Chandrila."

"Good to know. I won't forward that report to the General then." He continued to read through his datapad before he stopped and looked up to me. "Have you ever seen or heard of any man-sized, sentient, green rabbits with the ability to talk Basic and shoot blasters."

I gazed at my commander incredulously. I was sure he was now making stuff up. "Did she really report that?"

He nodded while smirking. "Yes she did. She also claims she heard reports that the notorious bounty hunter, Boba Fett, didn't die on Tatooine, but escaped and is living on Mandalore."

I didn't know what to say about that one, so I simply shrugged.

"How about her report that there is a clinically depressed sentient mountain on the planet Endor that bawls like a baby."

I shook my head. "I would think if that were true tourists could flock to see it."

"My sentiments exactly," my commander said before going on to another topic. "How about droids with the ability to use the Force?"

"I haven't heard about that."

"Snot vampires? Giant cyborg jellyfish?" He looked up to me. "No? How about space worthy wooden spaceships?"

I shook my head while trying to suppress a grin. "Sorry sir. I can't confirm any of those reports."

He sat back in his seat and made a mock sigh of frustration. "You just can't get good help these days." He looked back to his datapad. "How about the reports that you were seen snuggling up with a certain Jedi at Ha'rrod's restaurant on Chandrila before returning to your shared hotel room. And then you were off to the beach, sightseeing at the local royal gardens and then flew off to a remote part of the planet for some spelunking adventures."

The smile quickly slipped from my face as I bristled with irritation. "I was there on vacation. I didn't realize I would be spied on by the Empire. Did Tommins report that?"

He gave me an innocent look. "Tommins? Please! If ignorance was bliss, she's be the happiest person in the galaxy. No, this intelligence came from a much more reliable source…my wife."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Your wife is spying on me?"

He shook his head. "No, but she watches a lot of holonet and you and the Jedi were a daily fixture on the show TGZ."

My jaw dropped. "TGZ? The Gossip Zone?!" I groaned as I ran a hand down my face. "I should have known the paparazzi wouldn't give us a break."

A toothy grin spread across his face. "You need to come to my house for dinner. Marta is dying to get the _'details'_ from you."

A frustrated groan escaped my lips. "No offense, but that is the last thing I want to do."

He shrugged. "That's too bad. After all, she has the ear of your commander…a person who could give you orders to various assignments near Chandrila…if I was so inclined."

My eyes narrowed. "That's blackmail, you know."

He chuckled at my discomfort. "Turning down the offer will not jeopardize your career. I value your work far too much. It is up to you. Truthfully, I have no desire to hear the sordid details of your relationship with Skywalker. It is my wife who requested your presence to dinner…or should I call it _' an interrogation'_."

I sighed deeply while thinking about my options. I raised an eyebrow as I gazed at my commander. "Exactly how much influence does your wife have over you?"

He gave a shamed face grin. "I'm not emasculated, if that's what you're suggesting, but I do like to make her happy…even if it means playing matchmaker to a Jedi and a former…" He paused, perhaps hoping I'd finish the sentence. When I remained quiet he ventured on. "To a former mysterious member of Palpatine's Imperial Court and current Intelligence Officer."

I grumbled in defeat. "Tell your wife I'll accept her invitation."

"Excellent. She's been busy with volunteer work lately, so it will probably be a couple weeks before we can get together." He winked at me. "But I guarantee she will make time in her busy schedule to talk to you." He looked down at his datapad before continuing. "In the meanwhile, I have an assortment of missions to be carried out. I sent the list to your office computer. Most are easy enough to delegate out to personnel under your command. There is one assignment I want you to look into personally. Admiral Creeden's six-year-old son disappeared yesterday along with fifteen other children that were on a field trip to the Starship Museum on the planet Avslort. We are waiting for ransom demands, but so far nothing."

"Sixteen children," I whispered. "Are they all around the same age?"

He nodded. "They are first year primary students. The speederbus they were in is missing along with the adults that were chaperoning the outing. They all have clean records. Two were parents of children attending. The bus driver and the children's teacher both have long school employment histories and they are pillars of their community. We don't believe they are involved, but we can't rule anything out as yet." He stood, walked around his desk and closed the door of his office before returning to his seat. "I realize you don't like to talk about your past," he said softly so not to be overheard by anybody passing by in the corridor. "But there is something I'd like to know. Can you tell if a person is lying, or read minds, or get Force visions. Those are skills that would be very helpful in this investigation."

I blew out a breath not wanting to answer. "If you're worried about people lying, I am sure General Iwanuk could get the truth out of anybody."

He actually rolled his eyes before staring at me gravely. "Captain Colay, are you suggesting we send the Empire's most ruthless interrogator to question primary school teachers or the grieving parents of missing children?"

I slumped in my seat. "No sir that would be a public relations nightmare." I paused for a moment before answering his question. "I can usually tell if a person is lying, unless it is another skilled Force user. I can't read minds, but I can sense a person's intentions. I do have visions, but they are not always accurate." I stopped and drew in a breath. "I am not as strong in the Force as Darth Vader, but I have similar skills with the exception of a few particularly vile darkside abilities."

My commander didn't respond right away. He sat in his chair slack jawed as some of the color drained from his face. I could sense he was surprised and fighting down a slight tinge of fear.

I cursed myself for answering so truthfully. All I accomplished was instilling dread in my commanding officer. Why did I have to mention Vader?

Finally Commander Darten found his voice. "You have to promise me something."

"What?"

A slight smile curled up the corner of his lips. "Please don't kill my wife during dinner if she asks you about your relationship with the Jedi and if the Force can be used to enhance sex."

I sat stunned for a second before I laughed and I gave a sigh of relief. I surprised him by my admission, but it didn't change his opinion of me.

"You have my promise, Sir."


	40. Chapter 40

_**Entry 75**_

I looked over the abduction report. As soon as the children were noticed as missing a security lockdown occurred at all spaceports on planet. All speeder-trucks and large recreational vehicles entering and exiting the city were scanned or searched manually. Law enforcement personnel throughout Imperial space were notified to be on the lookout for the missing children and an appeal went out to the New Republic to assist in the investigation. I requested and received a list of all out going ships that left the planet between the last sighting of the younglings and the travel lockdown. In that one-hour window there were hundreds of ships leaving the planet. If the children were transported to a docking bay via speeder, then the ship port couldn't be more than a four hundred kilometer radius of the last known location of the children. That narrowed the list down to fifty ships. When I eliminated all small ships incapable of hauling more than one or two people the list was whittled down to twenty-three ships.

I then checked the flight plans of these remaining ships and cross-referenced their reported flight destinations to the five planetary spaceports where we believed the Inquisitors were working. Of course I am assuming this abduction has something to do with the enslaved children Luke and I saw on Rallo V. It is just a hunch, but one worth looking into. There were thirteen ships travelling to those planets.

Since the known inquisitors are still under surveillance, if the children were transported through to those particular ports there is a good chance we can save them if we could keep the ships from leaving. For the ports on Imperial planets, I requested that those particular ships to be grounded. The New Republic also disseminated that order to the worlds under their control.

Next I assigned some of my soldiers to scour the security holos from the area the children were last seen. With so many public cameras we should be able to track their movement and hopefully observe the abduction. Finally, I tasked my senior sergeant to act as a liaison between the civilian investigators and Military Intelligence.

With any luck we should find these younglings.

* * *

 _ **Entry 76**_

Images of all the missing children and adults were disseminated to the public galaxy wide. This brought in hundreds of leads, but none helped solve this mystery. A full planetary rotation has passed since the children were reported as missing. Usually if you don't find an abduction victim within a day their chances of survival drops. In a way, I hope slavers kidnapped the children and not some random psychopath. Slavers will want to keep the children alive and that will increase our chances of finding them.

* * *

 _ **Entry 77**_

The bodies of the four missing adults were found today behind an abandoned warehouse. They were killed execution style with a blasterbolt to the back of their heads. The coroner believes they were killed shortly after their abduction. Unfortunately, there weren't any functional security cameras in the area. The warehouse was located eight kilometers from a spaceport. This leads me to believe they may have flown the kids out from that particular landing area. Or, the adults could have been separated from the children, killed and dumped near this spaceport to throw me off their trail. I can't narrow down my search just yet.

 _ **Entry 78**_

I have contacted Skywalker and asked him to travel to Rallo V. I don't know if the suspected enslaved children we saw in the unknown region originated from that planet, but we do know there is an Inquisitor at that location. Luke readily agreed. I will go to one of the other Inquisitor infested spaceports. I don't want to be recognized, but I also want to find these younglings. To hide my identity I will use face putty, fake tattoos and cranial horns so I appear as a light skinned Iridonian Zabrak.

* * *

 _ **Entry 79**_

I decided to travel to the planet Bort IV. Three ships leaving Avslort during the hour prior to lockdown had Bort IV listed as their destination. Bort IV was also a location where I identified an Inquisitor working as a port customs agent. Since I have Military Intel agents watching the hanger bays, if the younglings arrived at that location they are probably still hidden inside one of the ships. The media blitz about the missing children makes it impossible to walk the children through the spaceport like they did on Rallo V. To make sure the ships don't refuel and take off, I contacted the port authority and requested that, along with grounding those ships, all requests for refueling be denied. Bort IV is a neutral planet and not obliged to obey orders issued by the Empire or the New Republic…so they were a bit reluctant to comply. I ended up contacting the planet's Minister of Transportation and suggested that the Empire might send ships to blockade the planet in an effort to capture possible child abductors.

This threat convinced the Minister to cooperate. He put guards on the ships I indicated and ordered an exterior scan of all ships landing in the past two days. Of course, a ship that is smuggling kids is probably ray shielded. We would have to tear the ships apart and search for secret compartments. Unfortunately Bort IV's constitution protects citizens from search and seizure without probable cause and a court order.

The minister informed me that, "If the scans don't pick up anything, we won't have a credible and legal reason to search more thoroughly."

I shook my head in frustration. I sometimes yearn for the days when I could send in a platoon of Stormtroopers to kick down doors with impunity.

"Just hold the ships," I instructed the Minister. "I'm sending an agent to investigate. She's a Zabrak that specializes in finding missing younglings."

* * *

 _ **Entry 80**_

I arrived to the Bort IV starport in a borrowed Avslort Planetary Investigatory division shuttle. Avslort is an Imperial world; therefore I was able to get false identification to match my new Zabrak persona. I was now Celina Marniss, Government Investigator for Missing Children.

I met with the Port security officer, a chubby but tall Sullustan (tall for his species). He offered me his hand in greeting. "I was told to expect you Agent Marniss. I am Talbot Zawn, port security. We have delayed departure of the three ships you specified, but I must tell you, we have scanned the ships thoroughly and we haven't found any children."

"You do realize they could have shielded partitions. Smugglers can't make a living without undetectable secret compartments."

He ran a hand over his dewflaps as he blinked his large black eyes. "True, but we have no reason to suspect these ships other than they left your planet shortly after the youngling abduction. Invasive manual inspections entail stripping parts off a ship, unscrewing deck plates and possibly damaging electrical or engineering systems. To get a judge to sign off on that requires proof."

"I understand." I gestured toward the docking bays. "Can you please show me the three ships?"

He nodded and motioned me to follow. The first ship we came to was an Allanar N3 light freighter. I reached out with the Force, but couldn't sense any sentient beings on board. In fact, I was sure it was unoccupied. I mentally checked this ship off my list. The second ship was a Corellian YT-2000 light freighter. When I reached out through the Force a cold shiver ran down my spine. I sensed terror coming from a number of people inside. It is difficult to differentiate adults from children, but the number of Force signatures on the craft was consistent with the amount of missing children. I pointed to the ship. "Can I talk to the Captain of this vessel?"

The Security Officer pulled out his datapad and fiddled with it before shaking his head. "The Captain and crew left the ship without giving us any contact information."

I looked back at the freighter. "Is there anybody on the ship?"

"No. The crew gave us permission to scan the ship and then departed. I suspect they may be holed up in a cantina nearby."

 _'More likely they abandoned the ship so they wouldn't be arrested for slave trafficking,_ ' I thought.

"And the scanners picked up nothing?

He shrugged. "We sensed a few small life forms, probably rats or spider-roaches, but nothing else."

This was frustrating. I couldn't come out and tell him, _'I can sense the children through the Force'_. I could try to mind-trick him, but if anybody asked to see a copy of the nonexistent warrant there would be questions. I hoped to do this legally without having to use the Force.

I decided my best bet was lying. "We received an anonymous tip stating children were seen loaded onto a ship matching this description."

The Sullustan sighed deeply. "I really doubt anonymous sources will convince a judge to sign off on a search order."

I was thinking the same thing when a thought occurred to me. "If I could get Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker here and he sensed the presence of the children…do you thing the judge would listen?"

The alien smiled under his dewflaps. "The hero of the Rebellion? I'm positive the judge would listen to him."

"Good I'll request his presence." I pointed to the ship. "I want this ship to remain grounded. All others can be on their way. And I want guard droids around the ship. They don't fall asleep or have to leave to use the 'fresher."

 _"It also would also prevent an Inquisitor from doing a Force mind trick on the sentries," I thought._

Bort IV is about a five-hour jump from Rallo V. Hopefully the kids have that much time. If not, I may have to do something desperate… or foolish. I'm not sure which yet.


	41. Chapter 41

_**Entry 81**_

Skywalker arrived in record time and if he didn't tell me which docking bay to meet I would have never found him. He was cloaking his Force signature heavily so not to alert the Inquisitor of his presence. I had done the same since my arrival, but I was surprised at how well he hid himself in the Force. He has come a long way since his first lesson.

As he climbed down from his X-Wing we gave each other curious looks. He smiled widely while raking his gaze down my body. "You look good as a Zabrak."

I gazed at him guardedly, not at all delighted with his outfit. "Jedi robes? When did you start wearing those?"

He looked down at his clothing and frowned. "Prior to leaving for Rallo V. My sister thought if I was going investigate as a Jedi Knight I should play the part."

That made sense. Both Rallo V and Bort IV were independent planets. An appeal for cooperation from an outside government might not be appreciated…but the words of a Jedi might be heard. After all, that is exactly what I hope would happen today.

I gave him a curt nod. "Sounds good." I turned and started walking. "The ship is on the other side of the port. I have it guarded. Sensors didn't pick up any life forms, and we can't locate the captain and crew, but I do sense dazed and frightened individuals onboard. If they aren't our missing younglings then they are some other unlucky group of people in the need of saving."

I fell into step next to me. "What happens when I do sense the children?"

"I have the security officer waiting to put in a call to a local magistrate. They can authorize the entering and searching for hidden ray shielded compartments almost immediately."

"Good."

When we entered a more populated section of the star port he pulled the hood of his cloak up and over his head, presumably to disguise his identity from the general public.

As we approached the ship I waved to the port security officer waiting at the rear of the craft. He was standing with a group of men wearing technician outfits. The alien smiled broadly upon seeing Luke. As we reached his position I made the introductions. "Talbot Zawn, this is Luke Skywalker. Jedi Skywalker this is the port security officer, Talbot Zawn."

Zawn grinned ear-to-ear as he grabbed Luke's offered hand in an overly enthusiastic handshake. "I'm deeply honored to meet you. I have read about your amazing military achievements and your determination to bring back the Jedi."

"Thank you." He let go of the Sullustan's hand and turned to the ship. "We can talk later. The search for the children is priority."

I saw a slight blush cross the aliens face. "Oh of course. Just let me know how I can help."

Luke stepped forward until he could reach out and touch the ship. He closed his eyes in a display of Jedi concentration. I knew he probably sensed the children almost immediately, but people have preconceived notions on how the Jedi do things. Luke was putting on a show to further convince the security officer to assist us. Luke opened his eyes and turned to the alien. "The children are on board. They are lying semiconscious near the bottom of the ship, probably in a smuggling compartment. I believe they are ill or drugged. We don't have much time."

"Oh, of course. The Sullustan pulled out his datapad and typed in some words. A few minutes later he rotated the device so we could view the approved search warrant. He then turned to the group of men, "Tzan, Robbet, slice the lock and open the doors."

Two human males walked up to the doors and within minutes the boarding ramp was descending. Luke and I walked onboard followed by Zawn and then the search team. Luke strode down the corridor and into the Captain's cabin before pointing to the deck. "They are under there."

The members of the search team moved forward and started using battery-operated screwdrivers to remove the metal plating. Before they could lift up the flooring a tall, dark haired man in a customs uniform ran up the ramp and pushed his way into the cabin. "What is going on here?"

The Sullustan turned and addressed the man while holding up his datapad. "Agent Klav, we have a search warrant to do a manual top-to-bottom invasive search."

I recognized the customs agent as a former Inquisitor. He didn't even glance at the datapad. "You don't need to search this ship."

The Sullustan's eyes glazed over. "We don't need to search this ship," he repeated dully before turning to his men. "Stop working." The workers halted their progress and were getting to their feet when I said something.

"No, we _do_ need to search this ship," I said adamantly.

The Inquisitor head snapped in my direction, his expression a combination of surprise and anger. "You do _not_ need to search this ship." He enunciated each word slowly and I could feel him attempting to cloud my mind with the Force.

"No," I heard Luke say behind me as he dropped his cowl of his cloak. "We will search this vessel." Luke stopped Force shielding letting the man know he was now facing the last known Jedi Knight in the galaxy.

The Inquisitor's eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed and brimmed with unbridled hatred. He quickly reached under his jacket and pulled out a lightsaber, igniting the crimson blade. Luke's own saber flew off his belt and activated as it slapped to his palm. I wasn't carrying a lightsaber and I had no desire to get between the dueling weapons. I backed up and dropped into a crouch and started firing with my blaster as I screamed a warning for the crew to flee. I didn't have to tell them twice; they ran off the ship without looking back.

The inquisitor deflected my shots back in my direction but they never reached their mark. With a flick of his wrist Luke froze the blasterbolts in midair. The Inquisitor stared at the frozen blue beams of light in utter shock. As the bolts dissipated into nothingness I had to grin at Luke's impressive display of his Force abilities. I was almost looking forward to seeing the Jedi fight the Inquisitor, but Luke decided to end the conflict quickly. He thrust out his left hand and Force shoved the customs agent against the ship bulkhead, dropping him to his knees in a daze. He then used the Force to pull the crimson lightsaber away from the Inquisitor, deactivated the blade and tossed the weapon to me. I stopped firing, but kept my blaster ready just in case I had to rearrange the man's innards.

"Tell us who you work for!" Skywalker demanded.

The Inquisitor's face twisted into a scowl. "I'll tell you nothing."

I chuckled. "How about if we turn you over to Agent Kyramud?" I smiled when the Inquisitor blanched. "I see you have heard of his abilities."

He struggled to his feet while glaring at me. "I'll die before talking."

I smirked evilly. "That can be arranged also."

A strange expression crossed his face before his eyes bulged out and his hands shot up to claw at his neck. It was like somebody was Force choking the man.

Luke turned to me wide-eyed. "Are you doing that?"

I shook my head. "No." I took a tentative step forward as the man dropped back to his knees. "Maybe he is doing it to himself."

I switched my blaster to stun and shot the man hoping it would end his suicide attempt. He fell to the deck unconscious, but his breathing remained raspy until all air flow to his lungs ceased followed by the sickening sound of crushed tracheal cartilage.

"Oh kriff," I whispered in horror as I realized what occurred.

"What just happened?" Luke asked nervously. "Did he kill himself?"

I blew out a breath, feeling queasy. I was fairly certain I just witnessed a murder. Somebody blindly reached out with the Force and choked the Inquisitor, but who and from where? Luke was the only other Force user I could detect nearby.

"Do you know what happened?" Luke repeated. "Was this suicide?"

"I'm not sure…it's possible. Or maybe somebody killed him. I know your father could choke people on other Imperial ships, but he was usually visualizing them over a holonet transceiver. If he didn't do this to himself, then somebody very strong in the Force killed him."

Luke looked back to the man. "How strong?"

I felt a growing sense of dread. "Stronger than you or me…stronger than Vader." I turned and looked Luke in the eyes. "Possibly stronger than Palpatine."

Before I could comment further two uniformed port security guards ran up the ship ramp. The two young humans gazed at the dead customs officer slackjawed. "What happened?"

"He's a former Inquisitor and part of a child slavery ring." I stated matter-of-factly while gesturing toward the floor. "Get the technicians back in here to remove this decking. We have children to save."


	42. Chapter 42

_**Entry 82**_

Medics arrived just as the heavy deck plates were removed revealing a secret, ray-shielded compartment crammed with children. The stench of urine drifted out of the hold causing me to gag and press the sleeve of my tunic against my face to filter out the smell. We are not sure what drugs were given to the younglings to keep them in a dazed state, but at least they were alive. Luke levitated a number of the victims out of the hold until there was enough room for medics to jump down and assess their condition before moving the remaining children.

The local media and law enforcement arrived shortly after the medics. The docking bay was filling up so fast that police had to break out the stun batons in order to make a hole for the ambulances.

When the last child was evacuated and we finished giving a report to the police we were finally cleared to leave.

"I'm glad the children didn't have any serious injuries," I commented to Luke as we walked down the ship's loading ramp.

"Yeah," he mumbled absently, obviously troubled by the Inquisitor's death.

When we were out of the ship I reached out and touched his shoulder. "Luke, we should talk about this."

He nodded silently.

"I have a shuttle. Follow me."

* * *

 _ **Entry 83**_

"So you think a strong Force user killed the Inquisitor?" Luke asked as he removed his cloak and took a seat in my shuttle's small galley dining area.

I sat across from him and sighed. "I don't know. I suspected that the Inquisitors might be getting their orders through the Force. The Empire had them under surveillance and we've been monitoring their transmissions and with the exception of ordering food or calling an occasional girlfriend there was no indication as to who was giving them their marching orders."

"Do you think their leader was monitoring the Inquisitor and decided to kill him so he wouldn't talk?"

I shrugged noncommittally. "The Force choke didn't start until I mentioned Agent Kyramud, the Empire's most successful and feared interrogator. I think the death is directly related to my comment. Whether his demise was triggered by himself or another Force user is in question."

"But you think it was caused by another person, don't you," Luke ventured.

"Yes," I said softly. "If he was using the Force to commit suicide I shouldn't have felt his surprise when the attack started. Plus the assault continued even after I rendered him unconscious. If he kill himself it wasn't voluntarily."

He looked at me questioningly. "Is it possible for a person to commit suicide involuntarily?"

"Maybe, if it was a Force suggestion planted deep within his subconscious…sort of like Han and the Hoojib mind trick. Somebody could put in a suicide command to be carried out if he was captured. The Inquisitor might not have known about it and if the suggestion was buried deep enough within his subconscious he could possibly have carried out the order while knocked out. Either that or somebody very powerful reached out blindly through the Force and snuffed out his life… and I don't even think Palpatine was capable of that feat."

"Why do you say that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because you're alive. If he could Force choke people without seeing them he could have crushed the life out of the entire Rebel leadership."

Luke thought about it. "If there is a link between the Sith and the Inquisitor…could that act like a transceiver communication? Maybe he doesn't need to visualize the victim if he is in communication with him through the Force...but I suppose this skill would only work against other Force users and only those who he has an intimate connection with."

That word unnerved me. "Intimate?"

He made a questioning gesture. "I assume there has to be a close link between the Force users for communication to take place. Sort of like us…or me and my sister."

I shuddered at the thought. I never considered my relationship with Palpatine 'intimate'. "I am fairly certain a leader-subordinate relationship is all that is needed."

"Either way, there is a Sith out there." Luke pulled in a deep breath and blew it out. "We need to Force train so we can defeat him."

I gave a grunt of disapproval. "If he is as strong as I think he is…we can't defeat him one-on-one."

"That is why we need to train. With your help I can become powerful enough to defeat any threat."

I ran a frustrated hand over my face. "Listen to you. That sounds like something Darth Vader would say." I leaned forward and gazed at him intently. "Once you kill the Sith, then what? Are you going to become our benevolent Jedi leader and savior? Luke, I don't think you have any idea how dangerous the Force can be. It is pure power and power corrupts. I don't know how I managed to avoid the darkside."

"You said you were taught from a young age to not use the light or the dark, but something in between. You can teach me that."

"Yes, I was part of my training," I said while throwing my hands up in frustration. "But I must have been taught that technique at a very young age. I don't remember the training. All I know is I automatically avoid both extremes of the Force. I don't think I could teach you how to circumvent the darkside." I paused in thought before continuing. "Luke, you are the son of a Sith and exceptionally strong in the Force. I don't want to train the next Darth Vader."

I could sense his irritation with that comment. "Litassa, being a Sith is not genetic. I am not fated to become my father."

I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. "Luke, you found out about an enemy and your first thought is to defeat him using the Force. You never once considered a conventional way to fight your foe. There is a myriad of ways to kill a Force user. The Jedi Purge is proof enough of that. Every Force strong person in the galaxy has the potential of turning to the darkside and if you turned…the results would be catastrophic."

He laughed sardonically. "What about you? You are extremely strong in the Force. Why is it okay for you to have all the knowledge?"

I scoffed. "What do you want me to do? Perform a memory wipe on myself? I already have the knowledge. I am talking about halting the proliferation of Force knowledge."

"Then why did you teach me anything?" he said, raising his voice slightly.

I didn't have an answer for that. I kept telling him the Jedi and Sith should end, but I continued to train him. "I don't know."

He slouched in his seat looking defeated. "Why are we fighting?"

I shrugged. "The Force choking business was disturbing." I motioned to his clothing. "And you know my concerns about the resurrection of the Jedi, but you show up in Old Republic Jedi robes. It tells me you are determined to restart the order."

He shook his head. "I haven't made any decision regarding the Jedi."

"Please. A man doesn't invest in a complete Jedi outfit if he hasn't made a decision." He chuckled at my comment, which only raised my ire. "What's so funny?"

He looked down at his robes. "These aren't my robes. They belong to somebody else."

"What? Who would have Jedi robes lying about for you to use?"

He grinned. "I borrowed them from a Clone War reenactor."

I know my expression must have been one of skepticism. "I don't believe you."

His grin grew wider. "It's true. There are groups of people who dress up like Clone Troopers or Jedi and they do mock battles against reproduction battle droids. When Leia suggested that I go to Rallo V garbed as a Jedi I contacted the president of the Historical Reenactor Society and within hours he found somebody on Chandrila that could lend me an outfit."

I glared at him silently, not caring that they were borrowed. I still hated the robes.

Luke, sensing my annoyance, rose out of his seat, unbuckled his weapons belt and removed his tunic. "I can see we won't have a civil conversation until I am out of this outfit."

A slight smile tugged at the corner of my lips as he continued to undress, kicking off his boots and unbuttoning his trousers. Once he was down to a pair of boxer shorts he held his arms outstretched and turned in a circle for my inspection. "There, are you happy now?"

I chuckled, my irritation with him fading quickly. "That is much better." I stood and moved toward the 'fresher. "I guess I should get out of my disguise."

Luke rose and quickly intercepted me. "No." He reached up and caressed a cranial horn. "I think this is sexy." He reached around my waist and pulled me into his embrace. "I've never made love to a Zabrak."

I made a halfhearted effort to pull away. "You won't find it too sexy when you get poked with a horn."

"Then we'll just have to be careful," he said softly before he captured my lips with his own, drawing me into a tender lingering kiss.

I allowed myself to enjoy the sensation for a moment before pushing him away. "You are trying to distract me from our conversation."

He gave me an exaggerated pout. "I don't like fighting with you, Litassa."

Damn, those soft blue eyes always melt my resolve. I sighed deeply as I leaned in and laid my head on his shoulder. "I don't like it either. Let's work on finding the Sith, if he even exists, and worry about how to stop him at a later date."

His strong arms enveloped me in a warm hug as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "That sounds good to me."


	43. Chapter 43

_**Entry 84**_

We had a chance to interview the children, but the traumatic events combined with their youth didn't make them the best witnesses. They said they were not forced into the hold until they landed. Once inside they breathed in ' _fog'_ , which made them sleep. I assume it was an oneirogenic general anesthetic gas or some other type of incapacitating agent. We are still waiting for the laboratory results from the blood samples taken from the children.

According to the younglings, masked men with blasters boarded their speeder bus and forced the adults off and into another speeder, which sped away. Once separated from their chaperones they were driven to the ship and shepherded into one the ship's small cabins. They were occasionally given food and water, but their abductors didn't talk to them.

Although I am a trained in interrogation techniques, I am not skilled in talking to traumatized children. Luke and I let the local authorities and child psychologist work with the youngsters with the hope that they will open up and remember more details at a later date.

After we spoke to the children, Luke walked me back to my shuttle. I was still disguised as a Zabrak and he was wearing those insufferable Jedi robes. He looked sad, so sad that I really doubt our relationship will survive continuous long separations. I lowered my ship ramp and motioned for him to go inside.

Once we were on the shuttle and had privacy, I reached out and took his hands in mine. "Thank you for coming out to help me."

He smiled weakly. "You're welcome."

"I need to get back to my base."

"Litassa…" I knew he was going to ask me to stay, so I silenced him with a kiss. We stayed in an amorous embrace for a long time, neither wanting to be the one to step away and end the moment. When I realized he could happily extend the kiss into the next day, I was the one to finally pull back.

"Luke, I can feel your longing and emotional pain at the thought of us being separated. Can you handle a long-distance relationship?"

He held me close and whispered in my ear. "I want you to stay with me more than anything, but I can't ask you to do that."

That was a curious comment. He hasn't hesitated to ask before, why not now? "Why is that?"

"I thought about what you said about me leaving and coming over to the Empire…and I can't do it."

I looked at him perplexed. "I never thought you would, why bring that up?"

"I can't ask you to make a sacrifice that I won't do myself. I should be able to leave the New Republic if I loved you enough." He sighed deeply. "It bothers me that I can't bring myself to do it. I love you and would die for you…so why can't I follow you to Epta Prime? I don't understand."

"Wait, wait," I detangled myself from his arms and gazed at him sternly. "What are you doing? Are you trying to break up with me? Because if you are, don't start all of this _'It's not you, it's me'_ Bantha crap."

"No, I don't want to break up." He walked over to the ship's dining area and sat down at the table. I followed, taking a seat across from him. He averted his eyes for a moment before continuing. "Litassa, I know I can't leave and follow you because I _do_ want to become a Jedi and I know you dislike that idea. I know it is selfish of me, but I want it all. I want you and I want to be a Jedi, but I don't think those two things can coexist."

I ran a hand over my face in frustration. "What is your point?"

He made a placating gesture. "I don't want to keep secrets from you. I want to become a Jedi Knight and maybe train others one day…but I also want to continue our relationship." He drew in a ragged breath and let it out. "I guess what I am asking is, will I lose you if I travel down that path?"

I sat back in my seat and regarded him solemnly. "Perhaps I'm jaded, but I just assumed you would become a Jedi whether I liked it or not. I think it's a mistake, but I know it's something you want deeply…obviously more than you want me."

He made a pitiful moan. "Litassa, I don't want you to think that."

I gave a scathing laugh. "That is exactly what you just told me."

His head drooped dejectedly. "You're right."

Gods, I hate seeing him this way…a depressed Jedi-wannabe is so pitiful.

"Oh, for Sith-sake, stop pouting. Did you ever look at it the other way? I obviously don't love you enough to leave the Empire." I reached over the table and grasped his hands. "We discussed this before. We are going to have this secret relationship and keep our normal lives. I always knew you wanted to be a Jedi. I think it is a very bad idea and you might regret your choice in the future…but it's your choice. I'm not going to end our relationship if you continue your Force training, but I'm also not going to encourage it."

He gave a wane smile. "Thank you." He looked down to his robes. "And…uh…are you going to be upset if I purchase some Jedi robes of my own?"

I chuckled softly. "It's fine with me, but only if you promise to give me a Jedi striptease when we get behind closed doors."

"Deal." He stood, dropping his cloak off his shoulders. "We're behind closed doors, should I start now?"

My cheeks flushed by an rush of desire.

"Yes, please do."


	44. Chapter 44

_**Entry 85**_

I am back to work. I called in my team leaders to see what progress they made on the various missions they were given.

Senior sergeant Q'var was tasked to investigate a bioweapon scare on the planet Kodonno. Specialist Metts was to look into terrorist financing on Ecmo II and finally Junior Sergeant Breon, a Zeltron and my only nonhuman, was tasked to infiltrate and identify the senior operators in a sex slave operation. Q'Var and Metts provided me some actionable information, but I was seriously disappointed in Breon's performance. I didn't want to be accused of speciesism, so I gave the sergeant a chance to explain his lack of progress.

I invited him into my office for a little chat. I sat at my desk with Breon standing at attention on the other side. I looked over my datapad and frowned. "Sergeant Breon, how is it you have been out in the field for weeks and you have nothing to show for it?"

The red skinned alien turned a deep maroon color as he stuttered out his excuse. "Ma'am, you ask for the impossible. The Kanjis are known to run the slavery operation, but they are difficult to locate. They're cagey. Being renegade slaves themselves they always have to worry about bounty hunters looking to return them to their Hutt masters. They are impossible to infiltrate."

"No organization is impossible to infiltrate! I have gotten reports from my sources that you have been sitting around taverns in the hopes that a Kanjis operative accidentally bumps into you. That is not intelligence work. I should demote you down to the sanitation corps."

"Ma'am, if you allow me to explain, perhaps over a meal, maybe you will understand better."

My eyes went wide and I was momentary stunned by an overwhelming desire to hear this man out. Maybe it was being too hard on him.

 _'Kriff! He's using his pheromones!'_

I knew his species could utilize powerful pheromones that can cloud a person's mind; I just never imagined he would be brash enough to try it on an officer. I utilized the Force to neutralize the invisible chemicals being sucked into my body with every breath. It took a few seconds, but I was able to fully negate his clumsy attempt at manipulation.

My eyes narrowed as I glared at him murderously. "The only thing you need to explain to me is how an inept soldier like you managed to get through Intelligence Corps training."

His jaw dropped as his eyes widened when he realized his pheromones were not working.

"Ummm...," he mumbled.

"Ummm is not an answer." I waited for an explanation, but none was forthcoming.

"Sergeant Breon, your free ride is over. Your pheromones don't work on me." I stood and slowly walked around my desk so I could look him in the eye. "I should have you court-martialed for attempting to use a mind altering chemical on an officer."

The Zeltron's respiration rate increased and the blood drained from his cheeks until his red skin turned a light pink. "Please ma'am. I apologize. It's instinct...it sometimes happens without conscious effort. It'll never happen again."

"I know it won't. You also won't use your manipulative powers on anybody within this organization or on any spouse or significant other of any soldier under my command. I won't have the comradely and cohesiveness of this unit undermined by you or anyone else."

"Yes, ma'am!"

I leaned against my desk as I considered my options. I could run him out, but he might shape up to be a decent soldier if properly motivated. "I'm going to give you one more chance, Sergeant Breon. Get me the information to shut down the sex industry in the west quadrant or I will reassign you to Sandtrooper duty on Tatooine. There you can work your pheromone magic on dewbacks and Jawas."

"Yes, Ma'am! I won't fail you again."

I gave him a dismissive wave of the hand and he scurried out of my office. Almost immediately Commander Darten peeked around the door frame and whistled. "Wow, you are good at that. I need to take lessons. I fear I am far too lenient with those under my command."

"You are," I said with a teasing grin. I motioned to a couple chairs along the far wall. "Please come in and take a seat, Sir."

He walked in and smirked. "I like how you handled yourself. I tried to discipline Sergeant Breon once. I just ended up confused and buying him lunch."

I laughed, not knowing if he was joking or not. "Zeltron pheromones are potent. You're lucky you didn't end up in a far worse situation."

He sat down and pointed to the chair next to him. "I had a question about your report."

I looked to the door. "Are we going to discuss classified information? Should I close the door?"

He nodded. "That may be best."

I closed the door and then sat next to him. "What is it?"

He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair. "The autopsy came back on the former Inquisitor. His larynx was crushed, but there was no visible damage to his outer skin." He paused. "I just wondered if there is more to the story than what you reported." He cleared his throat before he outstretched his arm and made a choking gesture. "You or Skywalker didn't…do a Vader on him, did you?"

I shook my head. "No. I wanted him alive so I could hand him over to General Iwanuk for interrogation. I wrote in my official report that he Inquisitor used the Force to kill himself, but I didn't mention a second possibility."

"Which is?"

"The suicide might have been triggered by a suggestion planted within his mind…but that is only conjecture on my part."

"Who could do that?"

I blew out a nervous breath. "Possibly a Sith."

Commander Darten groaned. "Ahh, I hate those guys."

I rolled my eyes. "You've only known two."

"I think two evil dark lords is more than enough in a lifetime." He glanced over to me. "Wasn't it enough for you?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "I hope I'm wrong and we are dealing with a simple suicide."

"I hope so too." Darten stood and walked toward the door. "Continue working on the other missions I gave you, but plan on being on planet two weeks for now. Admiral Creeden put you in for the Imperial Meritorious Service Award and plans to present it to you personally."

I sighed deeply. "Sir, I really wish he wouldn't. I don't want the spotlight on me…seeing that I am working under an alias."

He gave out of hearty laugh. "Well, if you wanted to remain anonymous you probably shouldn't have bedded the most eligible bachelor in the galaxy who happens to be the last known Jedi in the universe and was once the most wanted man in the Empire."

I bristled at that comment, but I couldn't deny its accuracy. Dating Skywalker, even secretly, wasn't the best idea if I wished to remain unknown. "True, that was a bit shortsighted and reckless of me." A slight grin tugged at the corner of my lips. "I blame your wife, Sir. She did say we were meant for each other."

"Indeed she did." He gave me a fatherly smile. "Young love makes people do foolish things. Don't worry, I went through your records and shored up any inconsistencies. Nobody will question your identity."

I was touched by his kindness. "Thank you, sir."

"No problem. You are a great asset. I don't want some overly indoctrinated Imperial buckethead giving you problems." He opened the door. "I'll let you get back to work."

When he was gone I began to wonder if Commander Darten was just being proactive and overly protective when it came to keeping my identity a secret or did he know something I didn't. Have I already brought on unwanted Imperial attention to myself?


	45. Chapter 45

_**Entry 86**_

The Bort IV port security officer, Talbot Zawn contacted me today. Or I guess I should say he contacted my alias, Agent Celina Marniss, the Avslort Planetary Investigator for Missing Children. He informed me that the missing crew members from the abandoned slaving vessel were discovered. All were dead from what he described as blunt trauma.

"There was blood all over the warehouse where they were found," Zawn said over the audio transceiver. "It appears that the crew members were thrown against the walls and there is evidence that one hit the ceiling. I can only assume this was the work of the Inquisitor. Either that, or somebody as big as a rancor picked them up and tossed them about like ragdolls."

"I agree. The Inquisitor probably killed them before he returned to the ship. I suspect he was making sure there weren't any loose ends. The younglings were probably the next to be murdered."

"It was fortunate that you and Jedi Skywalker was able to save them."

"We couldn't have done it without your help," I stated, knowing a little praise often gains you lifelong allies. "Have you found any other information from their ship logs or witnesses?"

"The ship logs were erased. We have a computer forensic analyst attempting to recover data, but it may take weeks to do so."

"And the children? Have they said anything of importance?"

"A couple younglings stated they heard their captors discussing a General, but they didn't have a name."

I groaned inwardly. If the person in charge of the kidnappings is a general then it meant we might be dealing with a government and not a criminal organization. "Did they hear anything else?"

There was a slight pause. "I don't know. One child said he heard the words 'Bread and oil' more than once."

"What? In what context?"

"The youngling said the men talked about getting a hold of bread oil or bringing the children bread oil."

I let out a frustrated breath. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"No, I'm sorry that I can't be of more assistance. I'll keep you updated on any breaks in the case."

"Thank you, Officer Zawn. I appreciate you help."

I turned off the transceiver. "Bread oil," I muttered. "What the hell does that mean?"

* * *

 _ **Entry 87**_

Tonight I was presented the Imperial Meritorious Service Award by Admiral Creeden himself. The ceremony took place in the post auditorium that was filled with Imperial soldiers from my unit and senior officers from throughout the base. The Admiral made a touching speech about my bravery, keen intelligence gathering abilities and strong devotion to duty. I noticed he made no mention of Luke Skywalker and the major roll he played in recovering the children. I'm not surprised; a great majority of the Imperial Military still hates the man.

As Admiral Creeden placed the medal around my neck he leaned in a little closer than necessary and whispered, "I am eternally grateful to you for bringing my son back to me. If you need anything….and I mean _anything_ , just let me know." He stepped back and shook my hand. His wife then came on stage and grabbed me in into an overly enthusiastic hug while she bawled about the joy of having her boy back. An officer carried their young son onto the stage and handed him to his father. The youngling buried his face against his father's chest, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was at the moment.

I know how he felt. I really do not like drawing this much attention.

After the ceremony, and the boring meet-and-greet that followed, I was invited to join Commander Darten and his wife for dinner at their home. I gladly accepted because it gave me a reason to leave the auditorium posthaste.

On the speeder ride to their house I could tell Marta Darten was having trouble containing her excitement over something. I assumed she was looking forward to grilling me about my relationship with Skywalker and I was partially correct.

When they led me into their home I was shocked to find the Jedi sitting on their couch. He was heavily masking his Force presence, either to surprise me or to conceal himself from any nearby Force users. "Congratulations!" he said as he rose and moved forward to shake my hand like we were common coworkers. I had to smirk. There was no way Marta was going to fall for that platonic gesture.

"Oh please," she said sarcastically, "I've seen you two smooching on the news. And according to the holoshow TGZ, Captain Colay is already carrying a Jedi love child."

The smile slipped from Skywalker's face and his eyes went wide in disbelief. "What? Am I going to be a father?"

I had to roll my eyes. "No, and I really doubt that was actually reported on any news broadcast. She tricked you into confirming that we've been intimate."

Marta chuckled at the look on Skywalker's face. "I may not be Military Intelligence, but I picked up a thing or two here and there from my husband."

A blush colored his face. "Well, I guess our relationship isn't secret anymore…at least in this household."

"I guess so." I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "This is a surprise. I never thought you would have the nerve to step foot on an Imperial world."

Skywalker shrugged. "I was invited by Admiral Creeden. He presented me with the Distinguished Civilian Service Award…privately…very privately. I don't think he wanted anybody to know the Empire gave tribute to their former enemy."

I had to laugh. "It probably wouldn't help his career."

"We can talk at the dinner table" Marta gestured for us to follow. "I had the chef droid working all day on dinner."

The food was delicious and the dinner conversation was as interesting as it was mortifying.

"You two make such a cute couple," Marta started out.

"I don't know if you can call us a couple," I said softly. "We go weeks without seeing each other."

Marta smiled warmly. "I bet that makes your time together that much more romantic." She looked over to Luke. "Are you related to Anakin Skywalker?"

The Jedi almost choked on his food. After a short coughing fit he managed to answer. "He was my father."

Marta beamed at that response. "I thought so. You look so much like him. You have his eyes and a cleft chin. He was such a handsome Jedi."

Luke was speechless for a moment. "Did you know my father?"

Marta shook her head. "No, I was just one of the millions of young girls that had a crush on the man. I remember when the Separatists kidnapped the Chancellor and they were holding him captive. Your father and his Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, snuck onto a Confederacy Flagship, freed Chancellor Palpatine, and managed to land the severely damaged ship on Coruscant. It was all over the news. Your father was fearless." She gazed at Luke intently. "He disappeared during the Jedi Purge. Do you know what happened to him?"

Skywalker blanched as he took a long drink of water. "He umm…he died fighting Emperor Palpatine."

Marta nodded sadly. "I thought as much. Palpatine had addressed the senate claiming the Jedi attacked him in his office." She drew in a deep breath and blew it out before continuing. "I never believed the story that the Jedi were trying to overthrow the government. My personal theory is they discovered Chancellor Palpatine was pure evil and tried to stop him."

The Jedi looked absolutely shocked to talk to somebody about his father. "How do you know all of this? All the records of the Jedi were destroyed by the Emperor."

Both Marta and Commander Darten laughed. "We lived during that time," Marta explained. "The Emperor couldn't erase our memories."

Luke blushed slightly. "Yes, of course." He looked down at his place and pushed some vegetables around with his fork. "Marta, you wouldn't happen to know the identity of my mother?"

Her brow furrowed in thought. "The Jedi were forbidden to marry or have children, so he would have kept the relationship a secret. He did have a young female apprentice, but she was a Togruta…and much too young for him." She looked to her husband. "Do you have any intelligence information concerning his mother?"

Commander Darten, as usual, was continuously shoveling food in his mouth in order to avoid any awkward conversation his wife would initiate. He shrugged and shook his head while chewing on his steak.

Marta turned back to Luke. "Sorry. There were many female Jedi with whom he could have had a clandestine relationship. He also had a friendship with the former queen of Naboo. There were rumors that she was pregnant."

Commander Darten finished chewing on his huge chunk of steak and finally joined the conversation. "She died while pregnant. I saw the media coverage of her funeral. She looked like she was in third trimester when she passed."

"That's so sad," Marta whispered gloomily before gazing up to Luke and me. "When are you two going to have children?"

Commander Darten groaned. "Marta…please."

I had to chuckle. "You saw the horrified look on Skywalker's face when you joked about me being pregnant…so I would say procreating is not in our future."

Luke appeared shaken. "I didn't have a horrified look. I was just caught off guard."

I was surprised that he sounded upset. I reached out through the Force and spoke to him. _'Luke, this is not a conversation we are going to have here.'_

He gazed at me before nodding and putting on his best phony smile. "So, Litassa, what have you been up to lately?"

The remainder of the dinner conversation remained light. Occasionally he would ask Marta to recount some of her memories of the Jedi, but the subject of children never resurfaced…which is good, because it is never going to happen.


	46. Chapter 46

_**Entry 88**_

After dinner I invited Luke over to my quarters. It felt a little odd having him inside my personal space. In the past all our romantic rendezvous were in hotel rooms or space shuttles. My feeling of unease made me wonder if my infatuation with the Jedi was based mainly on the illicitness of our courtship. We were more like two people sneaking around having an affair. In our case we weren't keeping secrets from unsuspecting spouses but governments. We didn't have a relationship as much as pure carnal bliss, with very little dating or wooing involved. For a second or two I wondered if he felt the same.

That question was answered in the millisecond we had some privacy. As soon as the door closed behind us he grabbed me around my waist and pulled me firmly against his rock hard body. It came quite apparent that Luke Skywalker felt right at home in my abode.

"Gods, I've missed you," he whispered in my ear as he ran the palms of his hands down my back before settling on my bottom. He captured my lips with his, before deepening the kiss in such a way that all thoughts other than making love to this man were purged from my brain.

I broke away from our lip-lock long enough to point and whisper, "The bedroom!"

He gave me a devastating smile as he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the direction indicated.

Any feeling of awkwardness quickly disappeared with each wave of pleasure he elicited from me. By the next morning I decided pure carnal bliss isn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

 _ **Entry 89**_

He cooked me breakfast the next day consisting of eggs, nerf sausage and juice.

"It looks delicious," I said as I wrapped a bathrobe around my body.

He was wearing the dress pants and tunic he had on the night before. I glanced at his clothing and then down to my robe. "I feel underdressed."

He laughed softly. "Believe me, I would be wearing less, but I discovered long ago that sausage oil splatter and a lack of clothing don't go well together." He grinned. "I'm glad you had provisions in your cooling unit. I didn't relish the thought of going shopping. Even without the uniform or Jedi robes, I am fairly sure I would be recognized."

I laughed. "I think so, too."

He sipped his juice while staring at me. "Do you want to talk about what you didn't want to discuss last night?"

I raised an eyebrow. "About children? Don't you think that talk is a little premature?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to clarify that my reaction last night was _really_ one of surprise. I wasn't horrified at that thought of having a child." He sat down at the dining table and took a sip of juice. "Just in case it is something you desire in the future…I didn't want you to believe I was against the possibility." He gazed into my eyes. "But, you are right. This conversation is premature."

"Agreed," was all I said about the subject.

We ate breakfast in silence for a good five minutes before he spoke again.

"Commander Darten said you didn't discover any useful information from the children or the ship's computer systems." He glanced up at me. "Any progress on locating our elusive Sith…if he or she actually exists?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I kept my surveillance on the other Inquisitors thinking they would flee when word got out that their comrade was killed…but they have remained on the various planets they are located. I am thinking about bringing one in for interrogation."

He gave me a quizzical expression. "Wouldn't that trigger another suicide?"

I thought about it. "I was thinking about cloaking my presence, stunning the man before he sees me, slapping on those Force-cuffs, and keep him sedated until I can get him to our interrogator."

"Do you think the cuffs would prevent the Inquisitor from killing himself using the Force?"

"I think so…what I am not sure about is if the electrical field generated by the cuffs would prevent another Force user from killing him with the Force. I assume it would, but I've never tried it."

"Do you have the cuffs? We can try a nonlethal experiment. I will put them on and we can see if you can touch me through the Force, both physically and telepathically."

"Physically?"

A wide smile spread across his face. "Hopefully you can think of something not painful to subject me to."

I laughed. "That sounds like an interesting way to spend the morning. I'll let my Commander know that you and I are doing some case work together."

He rolled his eyes. "He's going to take that as code for having sex."

"I don't think there is anything I can tell him that won't be interpreted in that manner." I grinned. "The cuffs are in my bedroom. After breakfast I will cuff you up and umm…try to pinch and probe you with the Force."

He blushed slightly. "This should be an interesting morning."

* * *

 _ **Entry 90**_

It turns out that I can't communicate with Skywalker telepathically when he has the cuffs on. I also can't touch him telekinetically, meaning I can't choke or punch him using the Force, but objects thrown at him utilizing the Force will strike due to their momentum. From our experimentation we determined that an inquisitor is not capable of Force-induced suicide if cuffed. In addition, a Sith couldn't Force choke him, but a powerful enough Sith might be able to telekinetically grab an object from a room and throw it at the Inquisitor with enough power to kill him.

I determined it was worth picking up an inquisitor. I will run the plan by Commander Darten later today.

I glanced over to Luke who was lying in my bed, hands cuffed at his front. "What should I do with you now Skywalker?"

He grinned, his eyes blazing with mischief. "Anything you want, Litassa. I am your prisoner."

A smile tugged on my lips. "You are enjoying this far too much." I walked over an uncuffed him. When he sat up I kissed him on the lips. "I'm going to miss you."

He grabbed me around my waist and eased me onto the bed next to him. "Can I stay longer? When do you have to get back to work?"

"This afternoon, but I am sure my commander will forgive me if I ask for the rest of the day off."

"I would like some more time with you," he said softly. "We never know when we'll see each other again." He leaned in and placed his mouth against my ear. "Just a little more time."

I eased a hand under his tunic and ran it over his muscular chest. "I would like that also."


	47. Chapter 47

_**Entry 91**_

Luke left in the morning aboard a nondescript shuttle. My feelings for the man are growing and this goodbye was far more difficult than the others. To make matters worse, when I went into work I had to suffer through Commander Darten's knowing looks and insufferable smirk.

"How did your case research go?" he said with a slightly teasing voice as he waved me into his office.

I gave him a tight smile as I took a seat in front of his desk. "Good. I'd like to pull in one of the Inquisitors we have under surveillance and bring him in for questioning. To be exact, I want to arrest the one situated on the Imperial world Sverdi and bring him to General Iwanuk for interrogation."

He rubbed a hand over his chin in thought. "Don't you think he may end up dead like the last Inquisitor?"

I gave a light shrug of my shoulder. "Skywalker and I think we have figured a way to prevent his death. I just need permission to do the arrest and one or two men to assist me…but I'd like to keep this from the Imperial forces on Sverdi until I have the situation under control. The Inquisitor may be able to sense danger. I want to be the only one to know my true mission until I captured him. Then we can alert the authorities to notify them that I have Imperial permission to transport my prisoner off planet."

Darten nodded. "Of course. Just let me know what you need."

"Thank you sir." I stood with a salute and exited my commander's office. I looked around the department trying to choose a suitable agent to accompany me. I noticed Sergeant Breon back from the West Quadrant with little to show for his efforts. Maybe Breon was right about the difficulty of infiltrating the Kanjis. I heard from other agents that the Kanjis were a very wary and tightknit group of criminals. Most were related to each other in some way and they rarely brought in outsiders into their inner circle. Perhaps it was time to assign the sergeant to a more realistic mission.

"Sergeant Breon!"

I must have startled the red skinned Zeltron because he choked on the caf he was sipping resulting in a stream of steaming fluid exiting through his nose before he dropped the remainder of his drink down the front of his grey uniform. He quickly pulled off his tunic before the hot liquid seeped through to burn his skin. He looked up at me nervously. "Yes, Ma'am!"

I suppressed a smile at the man's predicament. He was standing in the middle of the department wearing uniform pants, white undershirt and holding his uniform tunic dripping with hot liquid. "You're out of uniform," I said with a deadpan tone.

"Oh," he went to put his tunic on, but I stopped him. "Go back to the barracks and change your uniform. You are accompanying me on a mission."

He looked extremely apprehensive. I think I put a little more than a scare into the man the last time we talked. "Yes, Ma'am. May I ask how long we will be gone so I can pack accordingly?"

"No more than a week. Meet me at docking bay fifty-four in two hours. Bring a uniform, standard blaster and some casual clothing for undercover work." When he didn't immediately move I gestured to the door. "Now."

He attempted to move out quickly and sharply, but slipped on the puddle of caf on the floor. After some impressive slippery footwork he was able to recover his balance and make his escape.

I shook my head wondering if I was making a big mistake taking this idiot with me.

* * *

 _ **Entry 92**_

We took a Lambda-Class shuttle to the planet Sverdi. Sergeant Breon sat in the copilot seat fidgeting nervously. "May I ask what's the mission, Ma'am?"

I glanced over to him as I piloted the ship. "It's best you don't know the details."

I know that had to sound ominous, but I was telling the truth. If the Inquisitor sensed we were coming for him there was little chance of taking him alive. Of course, my reluctance to brief the sergeant only made him more nervous. I am not positive, but I suspect he believes I'm going to send him off on a suicide mission or perhaps simply shoot him out the airlock for his earlier insubordination.

"Ma'am, I apologize for not being able to infiltrate the Kanjis. I tried repeatedly..." He trailed off and sat silent for a moment. "Am I being transferred? I know what happens to people who don't perform to standard. I heard Specialist Tommins was transferred to Lola Sayu for filing fictitious reports."

I laughed out loud. "What? This is the first I heard of this. Who told you that?"

He shrugged. "Word gets around the department. When she couldn't gain any actionable intelligence on Chandrila she was transferred to the 64th Intelligence unit and a few weeks later we heard she was sent to a long duration undercover mission on Lola Sayu."

I had to snicker. Lola Sayu was a volcanic planet that once was the home of a huge prison known as _'The Citadel'._ I've never been there, but I was told the planet's major geographic feature was a giant sea of sulfur. "The 64th is not a bad unit. It sound like she pissed off somebody in her new chain-of-command shortly after arriving."

He nodded silently as apprehension continued to ooze from him.

I gave him a sideways glance. "You're not getting transferred or any other horrific fate you can conjure up. I needed help on this mission and I thought I would give you a chance to make up for your subpar performance."

He let out a relieved breath. "Thank you, Ma'am. I will do my best."

I smirked. "Let's just hope your best is good enough, or else I may end up volunteering you to assist Tommins on her undercover mission."

Breon silently nodded and remained quiet for the remainder of the flight.

* * *

 _ **Entry 93**_

When we arrived on Sverdi I told Sergeant Breon to stay on the shuttle while I check out the situation. I read all of the surveillance reports of this Inquisitor. He was going by the name L'dor Timk. He was a thirty-six-year-old human, with dark brown hair, green eyes, average build and was working as a civilian security guard in the local starship port. The man was a creature of habit. He swiped his badge through the work timekeeper device at exactly 0600 hours. He gossiped with his coworkers and drank caf before getting his shift change report from the off going security staff. At 0630 he started his rounds ensuring the safety and security of travelers within the port.

He rarely deviated from his pattern unless he ran into unruly pilots or crew. All I needed to do was find the best location to stun him. After watching him for most of the day I realized one of the places he checked was the public restrooms that were located down a deserted hallway. Now that I have a location, I simply need to spring the trap.

* * *

 _ **Entry 94**_

"So you want me to wait in the bathroom until the right moment?" Sergeant Breon asked looking confused. He was wearing a crisp Imperial uniform with an intimidating blaster on his side "How will I know when it is the right moment?"

I looked at my wrist chrono. Agent Timk should be on his way any moment. "You will hear me call for you. Don't ask questions, just get in there and wait."

"Yes, Ma'am," he said softly as he slipped into the male 'fresher. I stood outside in my undercover outfit, which consisted of a flowery print dress, heels and purse. At my feet I had two small suitcases. One was a nondescript leather bag and the second was a smaller, vinyl sided suitcase with images of Tie Fighters along the side. It was a bag a small boy would carry. I hoped I looked like a mom waiting for her young son to exit the men's latrine. I clamped down on my Force presence, which masked my Force signature, but also made it difficult to sense others with the Force. I just hope Agent Timk didn't run into any detours along the way.

After about five minutes I noticed the man turn the corner and make his way down the hall. As he approached I smiled widely and motioned him over to me. "Excuse me, my seven year old ran ahead to the bathroom and he hasn't come out. I don't think he could have gotten past me, but it is possible. Could you please go in and check for me. I don't want to barge in if other men are inside."

The agent gave me a faint smile. "My pleasure." He hesitated slightly at the door. I assume he sensed Sergeant Breon's nervous anticipation as he waited inside the latrine. Instead of sensing a trap, I am certain he believed he was picking up the emotions of some pedophile ready to accost my fictional son. His eyes narrowed as he slung open the door. He didn't get more than a step inside before I pulled the blaster out of my purse and shot him point-blank. The stunned man crumbled to the ground. A second later Sergeant Breon opened the door all the way and stared down at the unconscious man. "Can I assume this is the right moment, Ma'am?"

I put my blaster back into the purse and pulled out my comlink to contact my other agent that was supposed to have this man under surveillance. "This is Captain Colay, Imperial Intelligence. Agent Fianco, come in?"

My agent's voice came over the comlink. "Yes ma'am."

"Get to the bathroom on the west side of the port. I am bringing in the Inquisitor."

Sergeant Breon took an apprehensive step backwards. "This is an Inquisitor?"

"Yes," I said as I leaned down to the unconscious man and pressed a hypospray device to his neck, injecting him with a sedative that would keep him out for hours. Finally, I took out the pair of Force-cuffs and slapped them on my prisoner. I looked up and saw Imperial Agent Fianco running down the hall to our position. He was wearing civilian clothing, but pulled out a badge from under his shirt that identified him as an Imperial Agent. I pointed to the Inquisitor. "You and Breon get him to my ship. After you dump him off, Agent Fianco I want you to get a warrant from the local Imperial judicial branch to search Timk's quarters, confiscate all documents, datapads and computers. Return to Epta Prime with any evidence you recover. We are looking for any information about possible child slavery shipments or who he is really working for."

"Yes Ma'am." He motioned to Breon to help get the man to his feet.

With any luck we will be loaded onto the shuttle and out of the area before any of the Inquisitor's allies or confidants knew what happened.


	48. Chapter 48

_**Entry 95**_

I contacted General Iwanuk and explained the situation. He met my shuttle with a squad of Stormtroopers upon landing on Epta Prime. The Inquisitor remained sedated through the entire trip. The troopers loaded him on a repulsor gurney and whisked him off to our Intel building. I fell in step with the general as we followed close behind.

The general glanced over to me. "Commander Darten informed me that the Force binders have to remain on during the interrogation, is that right?"

I gave a curt nod. "Yes sir. I believe he may have a Force-suggestion that will trigger his suicide if captured."

"I see," he muttered softly. A slight grin graced his lips as he rubbed his hands together in expectation. "I guess that means I get to interrogate him the old fashioned way."

I may be a hardened Imperial assassin, but General's gleeful anticipation of torture caused a chill to run down my spine.

We brought the captive to the basement. The building we occupy was once an old hospital and the room the Inquisitor was maneuvered into appeared to be the morgue. General Iwanuk pointed to an autopsy table. "Put him there."

The Stormtroopers placed the man on the durasteel slab. I went over and examined the makeshift hand and leg restraints that were obviously added recently. As the troopers secured the Inquisitor I walked over to a steel surgical tool table lined with a horrific assortment of tools that ran the gamut from scalpels and clamps to hammers and garden shears.

General Iwanuk came up beside me. "I will use the least painful means of persuasion first. If I can't make him break we can stun him, deactivate the cuffs, and see if I can do a Force interrogation on an unconscious man." He took off his uniform tunic revealing a grey undershirt beneath. He picked up a moisture proof vinyl apron and slid it over his head and tied it up at his back. "I would do it first, but your report said the last inquisitor's Force choke didn't stop even when stunned. I don't want him to die before I have a chance to question him."

"Good thinking sir." I hesitated for a moment. "Do you wish me to remain?"

He picked up a nasty looking stabbing type of instrument. "This is not something for a young lady to see. I'll call you when I have something."

Although I have killed more than my fair share of sentients…I never resorted to torture. I don't think I have the stomach for it. "Thank you sir."

* * *

 _ **Entry 96**_

An hour later Commander Darten contacted me on my office intercom requesting my presence in his office. When I entered I found a jovial General Iwanuk lounging on a chair in my commander's office. Commander Darten didn't look as cheery as the general officer.

"Close the door and sit down," Commander Darten instructed me.

I did so and sat in one of his office chairs. I glanced over to General Iwanuk and was relieved that he wasn't covered with blood. Perhaps the Force interrogation did work.

The general grinned. "That was a good catch, Captain Colay. I learned a lot from the suspect."

"Thank you sir. May I ask what you discovered?"

He straightened in his seat as he ran a hand over his short-cropped hair. "He is an Imperial Inquisitor. He disappeared into the unknown region after the signing of the Galactic Concordance peace treaty. He said he met up with other expatriates to include Grand Admiral Sloane and General Brendol Hux. It is as I expected…a number of Moffs, admirals and generals fled to the unknown region in order to regroup."

My brow rose in surprise. I was shocked that an Inquisitor gave up his secrets so easily. I guess the General noticed my astonishment and chuckled. "I wish I could credit my fearsome reputation as an interrogator when it came to acquiring the information, but to be honest, he was more excited that he was talking to the infamous Agent Kyramud than scared. He told me everything once he realized he was among Imperials." He looked to Commander Darten. "He belongs to a new breed of Imperial called The First Order. He offered me a job in this new organization." He looked to me. "In fact, he would like to recruit as many upper echelon Imperials as possible into The First Order…including the young Imperial that somehow managed to capture an Inquisitor."

My commander slouched in his seat. "You mean, become deserters and break the treaty?"

General Iwanuk shook his head. "Not really. The Empire can stay with its treaty, but us, as individuals can desert our current posts and become part of this new Imperial government."

Darten groaned. "I want to retire and never have to fight a war again."

The general snickered. "Then stay. From what he told me, this First Order doesn't mind the current Empire interacting with the New Republic. It gives the former Rebels something to focus on while they are off in the unknown region doing whatever the hell they are doing to regroup." He looked in my direction. "How about you Colay? Will you join this new and improved Empire?"

I have heard of General Hux before, but I was unaware of his first name…Brendol…which sounds very similar to 'Bread oil'. The children Luke and I saved said they heard their captors say they were bringing them _'Bread oil'_ …or perhaps bringing them to Brendol. Could the General be the person ordering the abduction of younglings?

"It depends, Sir" I addressed General Iwanuk. "Are they the people kidnapping children?" My mouth drew into a tight line. "If so, I won't agree to work for people who abduct children."

The general stared at me intently. I wasn't sure which side he decided to serve, but I would rather leave the Empire completely before becoming part of a slavery operation. "If the Inquisitor was telling the truth…and there is no way for me to verify his information without taking off the Force binders…they were recruiting younglings to train to be future Imperial soldiers…but the recruits were supposed to be volunteers…orphans or freed slaves. Recruits were not to be abducted. The people they tasked to find trainees obviously decided abducting recruits was easier than searching for volunteers. The First Order was unaware of the situation until recently." He paused for a breath. "Anyway, I was told Brendol Hux was in charge of training the younglings."

It took every milligram of self-control not to roll my eyes. "No offense sir, but he is feeding you a load of Rancor scat. The hundreds of children who have been reported missing in the last year were all old enough to inform General Hux that they were not orphans, but kidnap victims. Either this First Order ordered the abductions or they are turning a blind eye to how they are getting recruits. Either way, I'm staying here."

"Same here," Commander Darten muttered.

We both looked over to General Iwanuk who appeared disappointed. "I understand your reluctance. I don't entirely believe the man and this child abduction business doesn't sit well with me either." He paused in thought before continuing. "But I'm also chaffing under the Galactic Concordance. We are subjugated to outer rim worlds while the New Republic occupies the Core." He grimaced as he ran a frustrated hand over his face. "We used to own the Galaxy, but then morons like Grand Moff Tarkin decided to invest all of our military budget into planet destroyers. The destruction of Alderaan was psychotic and all it did was inspire the Rebels to fight harder. We lost the war right then and there. There was no way to put a positive spin on that particular military operation. It's not like we didn't try. Hell, our propaganda department invented evidence that Alderaan caused it's own destruction while attempting to manufacture superweapons for the Rebels…but nobody believed it. The bottom line was nobody could remain neutral in the war anymore. You either stay with a government that slaughtered a billion people in one shot or you opposed that régime." He blew out a frustrated breath. "I want to see this First Order. Hopefully they learned a lesson from history and are pulling their resources together to build fleets of Star Destroyers and legions of Stormtroopers, instead of putting their faith in idiotic superweapons."

The General stood, prompting Commander Darten and I to rise to our feet. He shook our hands with a smile. "I might not see you again. I was told it was a one-way trip for me. The First Order wants to increase its size and power before revealing themselves to the New Republic. At that time there might be a way to merge the old Empire with the First Order."

My brow shot up. "Is the First Order looking at maintaining the peace?"

The general shrugged. "I don't know. They may wish to have peace, but they also want to renegotiate the treaty for more favorable terms for the Empire. Right now we were treated like the losers of the war…and the spoils went to the victors. I think they want a redistribution of those spoils."

"What about the Inquisitor?" Commander Darten asked.

A frown crossed the General's face. "I need him to get to the First Order. I'm taking him with me."

"What about the other Inquisitors?" I asked harshly. "Even if the First Order isn't ordering the kidnapping of children, they don't deny forcing children they do acquire to serve the First Order."

General Iwanuk made a placating gesture. "I will ask the First Order leadership to remove any Inquisitor working in Imperial territories."

"And the ones working in New Republic space?"

He looked down at his boots and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I will leave that up to the New Republic to handle." He gave us a curt nod before leaving.

I looked over to Commander Darten. "Well, this complicates matters."

He nodded as he sat down. "Especially for you."

I gazed at him inquisitively. "What do you mean by that?"

He gave a sardonic snort followed by a chuckle. "You know exactly what I mean by that. You are sitting on information that your Jedi boyfriend would love to know."

I gritted my teeth in frustration. I knew this would happen; it was inevitable. "I'm a loyal Imperial. I don't plan on telling him about the First Order…but this situation with the Inquisitors and abducting children…that I can't condone."

"Then out the Inquisitors to him," Commander Darten suggested. "Let your Jedi capture them like you did."

I gave my commander a hard look. "What you are suggesting may not be treasonous but a breach in loyalty at the very least."

He shook his head adamantly. "You heard the General. He said to let the New Republic handle the Inquisitors within their domain. I interpreted that as permission to disclose their identities."

I walked over and shut the door to his office. "I really don't think that is what the General was suggesting."

Darten rolled his eyes. "You mean the man who just told us he was about break out one of our prisoners and then defect from the Empire?"

My brow rose. "That's right. We could have him arrested."

Darten laughed as he waved me off. "You go ahead and try. I am going to retire in peace and not become embroiled in a court martial that could easily get twisted around and result in me sitting in the brig."

I sat back down and thought about the situation. There was nothing to gain by preventing the General from leaving with the Inquisitor…but if the two Imperial governments did one day merge, it might be advantageous to have somebody we know working for the First Order.

"So," I said slowly. "I have your permission to reveal the identity of the Inquisitors to the New Republic?"

He nodded. "Yes, and I hope every one of those child abducting Di'kuts Force chokes themselves when caught. Good riddance."

I couldn't agree more. Good riddance to Sith child abusers.


	49. Chapter 49

_**Entry 97**_

I contacted Skywalker to arrange a face-to-face meeting. He suggested that we meet on the planet Takodana since we been there before and it is in neutral territory.

* * *

 _ **Entry 98**_

A week later I arrived to Takodana inside a nondescript civilian shuttle. I don't need the extra attention that an Imperial shuttle would bring. After the media frenzy I endured on Chandrila I want to keep my meetings with Skywalker low key. I have asked him to be discrete. I don't need another appearance on _The Gossip Zone_.

I walked from the shuttle landing area to the grey stone citadel rising up from the shore of a pristine lake. As I neared the castle gate I gazed up at the flurry of flags hanging from the central spire. It was an eclectic collection of banners that included a Mandalore Mythosaur Skull, a number of Hutt and gang icons, old podracing pennants and even one flag depicting a stormtrooper. I did notice blaster burns through the lone Imperial flag. I have a feeling that the Empire is not well loved among the smuggler/pirate population.

Pushing open the heavy wooden doors I entered the smoke filled room full of a wide assortment of species. As I elbowed my way through the rough looking crowd I could feel Luke's presence in the building. I sat at the bar and ordered ale, assuming Luke would find me.

"Well, well, well," said a slightly familiar voice from behind me. "If it isn't the beautiful Senni Kiffu."

I turned in my seat and found myself gazing at the smirking bearded face of Captain Hal Kort.

"Or should I say," he continued in a teasing voice. "Captain Litassa Colay." He leaned towards me and lowered his voice. "From Imperial Intelligence." He didn't wait for me to answer but slipped into the seat next to me. "Imagine my surprise to discover Skywalker's lovely fiancée was actually an Imperial spy."

I smiled at the freighter captain who flew Luke and me to the Unknown Region. "Are you angry at the deception?"

He ordered ale and took a sip from the frothy mug before answering. "I was more worried than angry. After I saw the news reports from Naboo and Chandrila I was expecting to be boarded by Imperial frigates at any moment. As the weeks passed by I began to relax a bit." He shrugged a shoulder. "Anyway, Han told me your mission to the unknown region was instrumental in finding those abducted children...so that makes me feel better about the situation."

I nodded. "We first discovered the existence of a child slavery operation while on that shipment run. Your assistance was invaluable. I don't know how to thank you."

"I have an idea." He gave me a wide toothy grin as he slipped a room key across the bar to me. "You can take this room key and make a lonely pilot a very happy man."

I would have bristled at that comment if I actually thought he was propositioning me, but the Captain Kort I knew was respectful…almost to the point of being chivalrous.

I smiled widely. "Can I assume the lonely pilot is also a Jedi."

The man laughed. "Awww, I thought I would get an amusing reaction out of you. How did you know I wasn't making an indecent proposal?"

I finished my drink as I looked at the room number on the key. "I am an excellent judge of character…and you are no sleemo."

He laughed. "Thank you. I saw Skywalker about thirty minutes ago. Unfortunately a freelance gossip reporter also spotted him and tried to get an interview. He thought if you two weren't seen at the bar together there was a slight chance of not being stalked by the paparazzi during your stay."

I gave a soft sigh. "Yeah, I really doubt that will work, but it is worth a try." I stood and shook Kort's hand. "It's good seeing you again...and don't worry about the Imperials. I didn't identify your name or ship transponder number in my report to my superiors." I gave him a knowing look. "Besides, Luke Dunerider and Senni Kiffu weren't the only people using aliases that day…or am I wrong."

He grinned good-naturedly. "No, you're right, but I have gone by my current alias for so many years, I sometimes forget my real name."

I nodded in understanding. "I hope we meet again." I looked down to the room key. "I better go before he decides to send out a search party."

I made my way down the castle's maze of corridors until I found the room that corresponded to the key number. I didn't even have a chance to put the key in the lock before the door flew open and two strong arms pulled me inside.

"Gods, Litassa," Skywalker moaned as he kissed me passionately. "I missed you."

I closed the door with a kick of my boot before leaning into his embrace. "I missed you too Farmboy."

The next hour was magical…but my time with Luke is always bittersweet. There are hours, sometimes days of passion and happiness followed by weeks of separation and loneliness. He deserves better than this. He should have a proper wife and a growing family.

I don't know why these depressing thoughts always weigh me down. I should just enjoy his company and stop fretting about the future.

* * *

 _ **Entry 99**_

After getting reacquainted, we dressed and had lunch delivered to the room. It was then I revealed to him the identities and locations of the Inquisitors within New Republic space.

Luke gazed down at the datachip I handed to him and frowned. "Why give me this information now? Did something change?"

I clamped down on my emotions. I didn't want to discuss the information General Iwanuk gleaned from our captive Inquisitor. "Commander Darten gave me permission to reveal their identities to you."

"But why? Previously the Empire refused to reveal the names of former Imperials."

I was getting exacerbated with his questioning. "Skywalker, I have told you more than once there will always be secrets between us. I can't divulge classified information to you. Do you want the information or not?"

"Yes, of course." He said softly as he slipped the datachip into his tunic pocket. He took a sip of his drink before smiling at me lovingly. "How long can you stay?"

"A couple days."

"Oh." There was disappointment in his voice. "I was hoping we had more time than that."

I reached across the small dining table and held his hand in mine. "Luke, if you want more…a wife and a family…maybe it is time for you to look elsewhere. You are a kind and handsome man, any woman in this galaxy would jump at the chance to be with you and give you a family."

He scoffed. "You can't say that because you are a woman currently residing in this galaxy and you are not jumping at the opportunity."

I looked away. "Our situation is complicated."

He squeezed my hand gently. "Litassa, I haven't asked for anything other than a little more time together. I am not pressuring you to leave your job and run off with me. Why do you get so melancholy when we are together? Aren't you happy?"

I blew out a frustrated breath. "I'm happy…and that's the problem."

He gave me a confused smile. "Why is that a problem?"

I sighed deeply. "Because we spend so much time apart and…and I think I've fallen in love with you."

I felt a surge of emotion from Skywalker and I realized that this was the first time I confessed my love for the man. A wide grin blossomed across his face as he stood, moved around the table and pulled me out of my chair. "I love you too." He crushed me in his embrace. "Don't worry about the future. I'm not ready to settle down and I don't think you are either. We love each other and that is enough for now."

We didn't talk much more after that. We got back to the job of getting reacquainted

* * *

.

* * *

.

* * *

 _ **Entry 100**_

Arrgggg! My computer crashed and my journal was wiped out. Luckily I had backed up the journal to an external hard drive around two years ago…but that means I lost twenty-three months of journal entries-from the time I was on Takodana until now.

I guess there wasn't much lost. After my meeting with Skywalker on Takodana my journal entries were mostly a series of updates where I lamented over not being able to see Skywalker followed by frenzied accounts of our intense reunions. Then, the enviable plunge into loneliness occurred as soon as we parted ways. Despite the ups and downs, our relationship is still going strong. We love each other. Skywalker was right...loving each other was enough for now.

Commander Darten was all set to retire last year, but General D'ronto of the Finance Corps embezzled most of the Empire's retirement funds and fled to parts unknown. A financial forensics examiner is trying to trace the movement of monies, but so far there is no clue as to where the credits were transferred. My theory is the credits were funneled to The First Order. If that is true, then, if and when, the two governments merge the retirement funds might be reestablished. Unable to retire, Commander Darten grudgingly continues to work for a government that has screwed him over once again.

I have considered leaving the Empire and run off with my Jedi…but I don't. I have never had a relationship outside of Skywalker and I sometimes wonder if the only reason it works is because we rarely see each other. If we had to deal with the stresses of day-to-day living, doing laundry, cooking dinner or paying bills…would the romance fade? I don't know and I don't want to risk losing our current relationship to find out.

The last entry I had backed up on the exterior hard drive before my computer crash stated I had given Skywalker the identities of the Inquisitors working in New Republic territory. Luke said he passed the information on to his Intelligence Corps, but they were unsuccessful when it came to gaining any information from the prisoners. The captives supposedly died in custody, but Luke didn't elucidate whether they died from a Force implanted suicide command or if they perished while being tortured in Force cuffs. Luke said he didn't ask and he didn't want to know.

His young nephew, Ben, is four years old now. Leia and Han never did have another child. Luke is talking about training his nephew to be a Jedi. I told him he needed to become a master of the Force before he attempts to train others. Of course he doesn't listen. He believes his destiny is to instruct a new generation of Jedi Knights. Maybe he sees something in his meditations that I don't…but I don't foresee the rise of the Jedi during my lifetime. Of course, I didn't believe the truce between the Empire and the New Republic would last either, but here we are…at peace.


End file.
